Jessica Sellers
Current Class: Junior
Graduation Date: April 2013
Major: International Relations (Middle Eastern Studies emphasis)
Hometown: Austin, TX
Other Interests: comics, singing, camping, writing
On Choosing to Join Army ROTC
For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. There were things I was interested in and enjoyed doing, but nothing that I loved enough to see myself doing it everyday for years to come. I knew I wanted to do something meaningful, something I could feel proud of and feel that I had made a real difference in the world, but I didn't know what. In high school, I hung out with some of the JROTC students, and while I admired what they did, I never really gave any serious thought to joining them.
Over the next few years of graduating from high school and beginning college, I went through many different possibilities, various fields of study and work that would have taken me down some very different paths in life. Nothing seemed to fit, and I often found myself returning to the thought of doing some sort of criminal justice work or military service, but, as I realized this past summer 2008, it always came down to a fear that it would be too difficult, that I wouldn't be physically or emotionally able to do it. At the end of Summer Term 2008, as I was signing up for classes for the Fall, I came to a decision: I would sign up for ROTC for one semester, just to try it out and see how it went. After that, I would be able to move on and essentially cross it off my list of possible choices.
So I signed up for the class and started the Fall semester, secure in the feeling that this was just a trial run and at the end I would at least be able to say that I had been there, that I had tried. What I didn't expect was for ROTC, and the Army in general, to start to feel like that perfect fit I'd been looking for all along. I don't know when exactly I changed my mind about staying in the program – it was really a gradual process, growing a bit more each day – but long before the end of the semester, when I had originally told myself I would make a decision about ROTC, I knew that I didn't ever want to do anything else.
I was right about one thing – it hasn't been easy. But it hasn't been beyond my abilities either. I have become a stronger, steadier, and more driven person in the few months since I joined Army ROTC, and I have learned how to push myself like I never would have thought possible before. Each day brings a new challenge and a new reason to push myself to grow and reach higher and farther, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
On Experiences in the Army ROTC Classes
Army ROTC is all about hands-on training, both in terms of soldiery and leadership training. Since ROTC is officer training, we learn about and practice what enlisted soldiers will need to know in the field, from battle drills and tactical movements to repelling and weapons familiarization. A huge part of ROTC is also learning about how to be a good leader. This is taught through lessons and exercises about time management and communication, but also through the example of our commissioned and non-commissioned officers. I have never before had instructors take such a personal interest in my growth and progression as I have in ROTC. They want to see each and every one of us succeed and excel and they show us how to do just that everyday.
One of the great things about ROTC, and the Army in general, is the feeling of being a part of a team, and of standing next to other young men and women and knowing you will all fight to protect each other and the values you stand for. There is a feeling of loyalty and brotherhood unlike anything you will ever experience anywhere else – and it is got through hard work and sweat, through banding together to face whatever challenges and difficulties are thrown at you. As a female in the program, this has been especially important to me as I've gotten to know the upstanding young men that I work and learn with on a daily basis. There is really nothing like it, and nothing that could ever replace it.
On Spiritual aspects of being in the ROTC and later Army
Most people wouldn't think that joining the Army, or ROTC, would be a highly spiritual experience, but it really is. We have so much fun all learning and practicing together, but underneath it all is always a deep sense of loyal, honor, and duty, of serving not because you've been asked to but because you believe so strongly in something that you would sacrifice everything to protect it and the people who depend on you.
I remember the first time I put on my uniform – I looked in the mirror and felt like I was wearing an ill-fitted costume. I had no idea what I was doing. The very next week, I had my first turn posting the colors in the morning in front of the ASB. I was nervous at first, as I'd never done anything like that before, but when the national anthem started to play around us and we raised our arms to salute as the flag rose into the air, I was suddenly overcome with emotion. I felt tears come to my eyes and an overwhelming sense of love and duty toward our nation and the hope that it inspires throughout the world. It was an intensely spiritual experience, and I knew then that I would do anything and everything in my power to protect it, protect its people, and protect the dream of a better life held by so many across the globe.
On what friends and/or family think of your participation in ROTC
My friends and family have all been very supportive when they find out I am in Army ROTC. My friends and roommates all think it's super cool – they want to know when we can go paintballing together, or they reference me as the ‘tough one' who will scare off bullies or unsavory characters.
My family has been especially supportive. To some extent, my parents are concerned about their ‘little girl' going into such a difficult and dangerous field, but they have also expressed how honored and proud they are of what I have chosen to do with my life and what I stand for now and will stand for in the future.
