Duty, Honor, Psych 101: The Life of a ROTC Student

It is 10:30 a.m. on a Friday. Students all around campus are hitting the snooze button on their alarm clocks and cursing themselves for scheduling classes before noon. Some are cursing themselves even more for partaking in last night’s Thirsty Thursday revelry. Fueled by caffeine, I am on my way to meet with Michelle Perez, who has already been awake for five hours.

Perez, 22, is one of twelve females in Boston University’s Army ROTC program. Although she and her female colleagues are the minority, Perez says this of the male cadets: “They depend on us and they know it!” According to Perez, the female cadets are recognized by their male counterparts for being able to “visualize the big picture” and for being organized.

Organization is the key to Perez’s life. Her average day starts at 5:30 a.m., when she dresses in her IPFU, or Improved Physical Fitness Uniform—in the winter, a matching sweatshirt and pair of sweatpants with all the style and individuality one would expect from the military. After an hour-long workout she returns home to finish her breakfast and homework. A full day of classes is followed by hours devoted to writing emails and, in the evening, a chance to finally catch her breath and relax in front of the TV.

Perez’s initial interest in Army ROTC (which stands for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) was financial: the program awards merit-based scholarships and stipends in return for a four-year commitment to the U.S. Army upon graduation. Now, the senior goes to physical training (PT) four days a week and attends a leadership lab every Thursday, in which the cadets receive hands-on, tactical training. Yes, that includes handling weapons. Occasionally, that includes handling weapons in the forest. Amid the classes she takes to fulfill her psychology major are lessons in army logistics and electronic warfare. Perez says she would recommend the ROTC program to any high school senior who likes being active and is interested in taking a leadership role in college— but she has to have tough skin.

In a women’s studies course my freshman year, a classmate who was in Navy ROTC shared the warning of her commander: to the men in the company, she said, “you’re either a bitch or a slut.” Perez sees a different dichotomy within the ROTC program—one based on character rather than anatomy. “You’re either competent or you’re not; you either work hard or you don’t,” she told me. Only physical standards, such as how many pushups the cadets must do during PT, are adjusted for gender. Those standards are a question of body mass. The rest, Perez says, is “all about attitude.”

And Michelle Perez has one badass attitude. She says the outside perception of women in the ROTC program—that female cadets are tough—is 100% true. As a Cadet Executive Officer, Perez must not only uphold the expectation of “excellence always” but must understand how to motivate younger cadets to do the same. Yet she denies the second stereotype she believes non-ROTC students hold, the idea that female cadets are “manly.” Although it is true cadets must wear their hair pulled back and forego jewelry when they are in uniform (Army ROTC cadets dress in uniform every Thursday), Perez insists, “You definitely don’t have to lose your femininity.” Exhibit A: the stunning Michelle Perez, jeans tucked neatly into leather boots, black hair framing a delicate face with nary a flyaway in sight. Sitting next to her in my grubby college hoodie and tattered Chucks, I feel like a homely duckling.

After graduating from B.U., Perez will serve as a second lieutenant for a requisite seven years: the standard four in active duty plus an additional three to become an engineer officer. When I ask her what she plans to do after fulfilling her commitment, she admits with a sheepish smile, “I want to be a mom.” It takes a tough soldier to run a family unit; luckily, Perez has experience playing mother to her platoon. Something tells me that after wearing the standard-issue garrison cap for seven years, the many hats a mother has to wear will all fit comfortably.