While awaiting their military commissions and Rose-Hulman diplomas, Wabash Battalion Army Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) senior cadets Evan Baker, Landen Berlin and Samuel Dickinson have earned the rank of Distinguished Military Graduate from the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

The honor is bestowed upon cadets placing among the top 20% of Army ROTC graduates nationally, based upon superior grade point averages, strong performance in the Army’s combat fitness test, and providing exceptional leadership during their ROTC training.

“These seniors are excellent cadets with bright futures thanks to the values and education they enjoy (at Rose-Hulman),” states Lt. Col. Ben Schneller, professor of military science at Rose-Hulman.

Baker, a mechanical engineering major from Springville, Indiana, is the first sergeant in the battalion’s engineering company and was a Ranger Challenge team member for two years. He spent this past summer at the cadet summer training advanced camp at Fort Knox in Kentucky and is hoping to be commissioned as a transportation officer with the Army’s reserves component.

“ROTC has had an incalculable impact on how I conduct myself and how I lead others,” says Baker. “I have gained a great deal of confidence through leadership opportunities from ROTC. This confidence helps me be more sure of my decisions and stick to executing a plan all the way through. This change in leadership also changes your personality, naturally, and I find myself more patient and steady under pressure.”

Berlin is awaiting commission to become an infantry officer, possibly with the 82^nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The civil engineering student from Dacula, Georgia, is currently the battalion’s supply officer after serving as a team and squad leader. He attended cadet troop leader training with the 759^th Military Police Battalion at Fort Carson in Colorado.

“Army ROTC has pushed me daily to be the best version of myself while at Rose-Hulman,” states Berlin. “The different tools of leadership that have been taught in (Army ROTC) curriculum have not only increased my leadership abilities in relation to the Army but increased my ability to lead in the classroom and clubs through emotional awareness and analytical decision making.”

Dickinson is a software engineering major who has been a platoon and company sergeant within the Army ROTC program. The Arcola, Illinois, native is planning to be a second lieutenant in the Indiana Army National Guard, serving in either the cyber or signal branches. He attended cadet troop training this past summer at Fort Hood in Texas.

He says, “The Army ROTC program has taught me discipline, time management, communication, leadership, and given me an enormous amount of respect for the U.S. Army and those who serve.”

The Army ROTC program’s Wabash Battalion includes cadets attending Rose-Hulman, Indiana State University, University of Southern Indiana, DePauw University, University of Evansville, Saint Mary of the Woods College, and Vincennes University.