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Roughly 50 cadets are commissioning this month from the University of North Georgia (ºìÁ«ÉçÇø) as second lieutenants in the Army, Georgia Army National Guard and Army Reserve. The commissioning ceremony is set for 6 p.m. May 13 in the Convocation Center at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø's Dahlonega Campus.

Col. Kitefre "Kit" Oboho, a 2002 ºìÁ«ÉçÇø alumnus and commander of the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, will serve as keynote speaker at the commissioning ceremony.

Oboho began work in his current role in June 2024 after previously leading the 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia, since 2021.

As the graduating cadets head into a wide array of branches, their experience in the leadership laboratory of the Corps of Cadets has laid the foundation for what comes next.

Tyson Rumley, who has served as Corps of Cadets brigade commander for the 2024-25 academic year and will commission into the Army's Aviation Branch, took an unconventional path to ºìÁ«ÉçÇø. The Monroe, Georgia, native spent his freshman year at Brevard College in western North Carolina as a Division III college football player. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, he transferred to Middle Georgia State University and spent a year as an online student.

Even when he arrived at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø as a cadet in his third year of college, Rumley hoped to eventually transfer to the Air Force Academy. Instead, the environment at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø and a three-year Army ROTC Scholarship allowed him to embrace the university where he has spent the past four years.

"I fell in love with what this school was doing to me and who it was making me. So I stayed," Rumley said. "When I got here, I quickly was thrown into leadership roles where the decisions I was making were affecting other people. On a football field, if I miss a tackle, they might score. But here, if a kid really needs my help with something, they could have mental health issues or need help to graduate, which is going to affect their entire life. As a leader here, you are affecting those kids."

Rumley, who is earning a degree in criminal justice with a concentration in forensics, also appreciates the mix of military and civilian life that ºìÁ«ÉçÇø affords cadets. He has served as president of both Pi Kappa Alpha and Nighthawks Entertainment.

One of his most meaningful experiences came at Cadet Troop Leadership Training with Army Aviation in Camp Humphreys, South Korea, in the summer between his junior and senior years. He also was able to take an aviation ground school at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø and receive mentorship from retired Lt. Col. Heath Williams, executive director of cadet career success and longtime Army aviator, as well as encouragement from fellow cadets Aaron Allen and Jacob Hughes. Rumley hopes others similarly embrace what ºìÁ«ÉçÇø offers.

"It's your future," Rumley said. "Push yourself to be involved in something you're interested in."

Katherine Coleman, a Vidalia, Georgia, native, will be commissioning as an ordnance officer, is a three-year Army ROTC Scholarship and also received multiple ºìÁ«ÉçÇø Foundation scholarships through the Corps of Cadets. As impactful as those scholarships have been, her personal development has meant even more.

"I expected it to be hard and time-consuming and arduous at times, and it's been all of those things," Coleman said. "I didn't expect how much it would grow me as a person."

Coleman, who is earning a degree in psychology, said the officers under her command will benefit from the approach she has honed at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø.

"I have learned leadership as a form of team development," she said. "It's changed the way I talk to people on my teams."

She has learned how to manage her anxiety and to see the positive even when things get hard. Coleman encourages her fellow cadets to do the same.

"Don't give up on yourself. You have to be your biggest advocate," Coleman said. "Nobody else is going to do it for you."

Justin Howard, a Dallas, Georgia, native, is earning a degree in finance and commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Branch of the Georgia Army National Guard. He already has a full-time job lined up at Fiserv, a financial technology company, starting July 14.

"In addition to unparalleled leadership training, I've been able to build meaningful relationships and connections," Howard said. "This school has given me a lot. This military program has built me up to who I am today and will be in the future."

Howard, who has served as brigade executive officer for 2024-25, is a Georgia Military Service Scholarship recipient. Worth over $85,000, the scholarship is offered by the state of Georgia for 42 high school seniors annually to attend ºìÁ«ÉçÇø and commission as officers in the Georgia Army National Guard after graduating with a bachelor's degree. They serve in the Georgia Army National Guard while they are students, and the scholarship covers tuition, books, uniforms, and living expenses.

Howard said balancing the Corps of Cadets and traditional academic courses can be tough, but he embraced the challenge. He is proud to have received his top branch choice and already have a full-time job. Howard credits his friends and mentors for helping him reach this point.

"Find like-minded people with common goals, and surround yourself with them," Howard said. "They'll help push you to get you where you want to be."

Sophia Thacker, a Caledonia, Ohio, native, never visited campus before joining ºìÁ«ÉçÇø's Corps of Cadets. In fact, she had committed to attend a different senior military college before a ºìÁ«ÉçÇø recruiter convinced her to change her plans. When she stepped foot on campus for Freshman Recruit Orientation Group Week, she began to realize the many ways the Corps of the Cadets would help her grow.

This month, Thacker will become a second lieutenant in the Army's Chemical Corps as she earns a degree in criminal justice with Peace Officer Standards and Training certification.

Thacker appreciated the structure she found as a cadet.

"The Corps gives you many resources you can use, and it helps you learn how to trust the people on your left and right," she said.

Ryan Kirk, a Marietta, Georgia, native, will commission as an officer in the Army Cyber branch, one of the most competitive assignments. He is looking forward to the opportunity to be in such a fast-paced, innovative branch. His time at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø has paved the way.

"ºìÁ«ÉçÇø offers opportunities to experiment and learn. It's an accelerated version of what you will experience in the Army," Kirk said. "You get a taste of what your career will be like."

Kirk, who is earning a degree in cybersecurity, hopes others will keep a holistic mindset when challenges arise.

"It's very easy to get caught up in the college experience and forget college is a tool used to prepare for your career. It can be hard to keep the end goal in mind. Whatever your ultimate goal is, you need to keep that in the forefront of your mind," Kirk said. "If you're able to do that, it makes the sacrifices worth it and helps you put things in perspective."