Building Careers and Character: UofL’s Army ROTC Offers Cadets Military Training and Much More

Dec. 4, 2024

By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences

History major and ROTC cadet Teadora Monteith enlisted in the U.S. Army just after high school, but for students who need more time to decide, she encourages them to discover what the Army can do for them.

"I think a lot of people view joining the Army as a sacrifice, which in some ways it is in terms of time and energy, but a lot of what the ROTC and the military is, is a career building opportunity,” Monteith said. “It can help you network. The Army can help you to achieve what you want to do.”

With a mother who served as an officer in the Army, Monteith said joining was both a family affair and a strategy to gain a strong foundation in life.

“I think being an officer in the Army is a really good opportunity. You get job security; you’re never not going to have a job,” Monteith states. “It is a very safe position because you get health care, and a lot of the time, free lodging. It felt like a very smart move for me because it was ensuring my future. It teaches you a lot of practical skills as well that can be transferred to a civilian career.”

UofL’s Army ROTC, established 42 years ago, is an elective curriculum taken along with required college classes. It prepares cadets with the tools, training, and experiences that will help them to succeed in any competitive environment. Along with leadership training, Army ROTC can pay for college tuition and provide other monetary benefits. While in the Army ROTC program, cadets will have a normal college student experience, but will graduate as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

For the first two years, there is zero obligation, giving cadets the chance to explore and decide their next steps. In their junior year, cadets decide if they are going to commit to becoming an officer. From there, they can decide to join the Army Reserves or National Guard, or pursue active duty.

The program has grown and today has 100 cadets in a nationally ranked program of excellence.

“Last year, within 38 host programs from Tennessee to Michigan, we were number one within our brigade and ranked #5 in the nation,” said Lt. Colonel Philip Duff. “To go from a small program 40 years ago to now a powerhouse in the country, it has been amazing to see. It comes down to the dedication of the cadre and just the hard work, team work, and a sense of family that the cadets put in. They care about each other and want to see each other do well.”

Monteith is minoring in Arabic, and when she enlisted in the Army, she was a linguist and served as an interpreter. She said that when people hear someone is going into the Army, she has observed many misconceptions about what that means. The truth is that it opens a world of opportunity for people who want to serve their country while building a lifelong career, she explains.

“I think everyone thinks in the Army, everyone is an infantryman on the frontlines,” she said. “The reality is that is less than 10 percent of the Army. Most of it is jobs that are very comparable to civilian ones,” Monteith states.

Initially unsure of her career trajectory, she was encouraged by the ROTC program to figure out what she wanted to do. Monteith now wants to become a logistics officer, which is a position with many transferrable skills to the civilian sector.

“This will set me up for success moving forward,” she said.

Lt. Colonel Duff states that Army ROTC students are held to a high standard and serve in three distinct capacities: they are students, they are athletes, and they are leaders.

“This is a triple threat approach as to how we see cadets, and we want them to grow in this process,” Lt. Colonel Duff said. “Maintaining their GPA is vital and something they need to do. Our cadre are also more than instructors – they are teachers, coaches, and mentors.”

Monteith has developed better time management skills as a result of being in the ROTC program. Now, she hits the ground running when given any task.

“I am a history major, so we write a lot of essays and do a lot of reading. In high school, I was not a good student. I would procrastinate all of the time,” she said. “Being in college and in the ROTC, I realized that you cannot do that. There’s no way you cannot give it 100%. You need a ‘go get it’ mentality.”

The ROTC program offers unique growth opportunities for cadets, including fully funded cultural immersion programs like Project GO, where cadets travel to places like Morocco to enhance their global awareness and leadership skills. Through challenging experiences such as Airborne and Air Assault schools, where they learn parachuting and rappelling techniques, cadets develop resilience and teamwork.

The program also emphasizes the value of volunteerism, encouraging cadets to recognize their privilege and give back to the community. As a capstone, senior cadets participate in Cardinals Care, designing and executing volunteer projects in Louisville to foster a sense of selflessness and service that prepares them to lead responsibly.

For students interested, they should know that it is always okay to ask for help, Monteith states.

“The Army is a team sport. There’s nothing individual about it,” she said. “You are a team. You succeed as a team and you fail as a team. Asking for help is not a weakness, it’s a strength.”