How do you become an officer through ROTC? This week I am talking to Keiara Williams about her experience in Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC). She finished her junior year and has one more year of school before she graduates from the Air Force ROTC program and will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. In this interview, we talked about the process of her joining ROTC. What her first two years of ROTC were like and what her summer Field Training was like. And ended with how her responsibility in ROTC changed after graduating from Field Training and advice for others considering ROTC.
Becoming an officer through ROTC
Keira was featured this week on the Women of the Military podcast episode 197 Becoming a U.S. Military Officer. You can hear her interview starting at 33:13.
Keiara Williams applied for an Air Force ROTC scholarship in high school but was not selected. Although disappointed she decided to join ROTC without a scholarship and compete for a scholarship. She was able to get a scholarship and a slot for Field Training and is now on her way to gaining her commission. The application for a scholarship in high school included PT scores, GPA, AFOQT/SAT scores, and class rank/letters of recommendation. It was very competitive.
She decided to do ROTC at Charleston Univesity in South Carolina. When she competed for a Field Training slot, she was one of ten selected out of her flight of seventeen cadets. She attended the two-week field training the summer between her sophomore and junior year. Because of COVID the first week they were focused on the classroom. They spent their time indoors away from others. In the second week, they did more exercises and simulations. She learned she had to let go of being perfect and how to keep her emotions in check.
Becoming a leader
After graduating from Field Training you become a leader in ROTC. Instead of being a participant in events, you help lead them and help prepare the next class of cadets. She noticed the shift and responsibility. In March, she recently put in her job choice. She wants to be an oral surgeon (dentist) and is working on that path. But she also put in her options if that plan falls through. She will find out in the fall what her path forward will be. If selected to be a dentist she will go to dental school. If not, she will find out her assignment in the Spring before commissioning.
She recommends that others try out ROTC. She thinks it is a great program.
Other officer programs
ROTC is one of the many ways you can become an officer in the military. There are also military academies where you can gain both your commission and degree by attending the four-year universities run by the military. Women who have their college degrees can also look into Officer Candidate programs that those with a degree to become officers. Each branch has its own system and program to support this path. And if you want to work in a specialized career such as Doctor, Dentist, Lawyer, Psychologist, etc. Talk to your local recruiter and have them connect you with the correct recruiter that can help you find out what requirements are needed to become an officer through these programs.
