Shawntay Wade is in her third year with the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Cal State Dominguez Hills—known as the “Mighty Toros.” Wade never saw herself joining the military, but believed turning down the opportunity might be something she would regret in the future—despite her mother’s protest.
“My mom really didn’t want me to go into the military, but I told her, it’s, like, an experience,” Wade told The Bulletin. “I’m the type of person [to think] ‘what if I did it?’… I would hate to have regrets. So I was like, ‘why not’?’”
Briana Rosales is also in her third year with the Mighty Toros. She has known since high school that she wanted to join the military. Rosales is one of the most experienced cadets in the program, having already earned her associate degree while serving in the military.
“I got out of high school June 2021, and I left for basic training June 23, 2021. I was in the military for five years, active duty,” Rosales told The Bulletin. “I was doing some college while I was in the Army, so I completed my associate’s degree while in service at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.”
Bryan Alvarez is a second-year cadet in the ROTC program. During his freshman year, Alvarez took free courses offered by the university for incoming freshmen when he came across a banner for ROTC. Alvarez had always been interested in law enforcement and military service and decided to give the program a shot.
Alvarez told The Bulletin that the early days of ROTC were a challenge.
“At first, I wanted to give up … It was frustrating not knowing everything. But I gave it a try,” Alvarez said. “It ended up actually getting better bit by bit.”
ROTC programs at American universities date back to the Civil War. CSUDH’s program began in 1978 to train and commission officers for the U.S. Army. Cadets must meet basic requirements to enroll, including being between 17 and 32 years old, passing Army physical and medical tests and attending college or university full time.
One of the Mighty Toros’ key goals is building a diverse officer corps that reflects the country it serves. Under the guidance of Capt. Marcus Norton and retired Master Sgt. Daniel Johnson, cadets in the program can eventually graduate as commissioned officers in the U.S. Army.
Norton, a military science professor, told The Bulletin about the leadership qualities he cultivates in his cadets.
“The main thing we look for in our program is someone who has the courage to try. That’s the biggest piece,” said Norton, a military science professor at CSUDH. “We can tell you what to do and what you should do, but you need to have the courage to be willing to take that step, to be willing to try something.”
Johnson, the program’s military science and history instructor, also supervises the planning and execution of their leadership labs. Recruits learn to assemble firearms and how to navigate land. Johnson told The Bulletin that one challenge of leadership is finding balance.
“Some of our cadets, they’re taking a full load of courses, but they still have to show up at 6 o’clock in the morning to do physical training,” Johnson said. “Most of them have jobs, so they’ve got to balance that. So it can be challenging for them.”
Norton said the Army aims to have a military that resembles the American population.
“I think the Army establishes and prefers to have equity to ensure that their officer corps is reflective of the people that they serve and also the people that they serve. It’s a snapshot of America,” Norton said.
When cadets complete the program, they are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. Norton said cadets coming out of Southern California have a unique advantage because of the diversity of experiences and backgrounds in the region. He added that one unique element of the ROTC program at CSUDH is its geography.
“We have that blue-collar mentality around here. [When our officers] go in and become a platoon leader[s], [they] might have soldiers from Idaho or farmers from Nebraska,” he said. “There’s a huge diversity.” Norton said.
Norton continued: “Having those real-life experiences and having trials and being able to overcome that, I think, is a good model and demonstrates inspiration.”
Rosales sees ROTC as another step toward the military career she began shortly after graduating from high school. She hopes to return to active duty and eventually take on greater responsibilities as an officer.
“I just like creating an atmosphere where everybody’s comfortable, where everybody feels treated equally,” Rosales said. “I want to go back to active duty. Hopefully, I get to progress, you know, rank up super quick.”
Alvarez said he plans to continue his military career for around a decade after graduating before transitioning into law enforcement. He hopes to inspire and motivate those who are in his command once he commissions as an officer.
“Hopefully, someday, someone’s gonna come up to me and just tell me, ‘Hey, due to your leadership and everything, it changed my life’,” Alvarez said. “Just seeing that makes me proud of myself. I’m changing other lives.”