It’s likely you’ve seen them on campus in their OCPs on Thursdays or marching in perfect synchronicity to and from the Shields Building, but there is more to these students than meets the eye. VALLEY sat down with three female cadets from Penn State’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 720 to learn more about their place here on campus, the community that is ROTC and what it means to them.
Samantha Bergers is a third-year cybersecurity analytics and operations major. She is involved in the astronomy program where she tracks constellations and satellites.
Bergers says she wishes others knew the program is a lot more flexible than they might think. She underlines that the officers staffed here at Penn State care a lot about helping their cadets figure out how to get the education that they want while also providing military service. Moreover, the U.S. Air Force has been moving towards a model that emphasizes more creativity and critical thinking in leadership training so that the cadets and officers of tomorrow are well prepared to fulfill their jobs in the Air Force.
She highlights that there are actually a lot of benefits to being a woman in the military, such as more coverage and security for those who wish to start a family. Bergers notes that certain preconceived notions about women in the military may deter some from choosing to pursue a career in government or the armed forces. But, those couldn’t be farther from the truth — Bergers herself is testament to that.
A mother and a rising business owner working on the first house in her portfolio, Bergers is also a squadron commander within Detachment 720. As a leader, she is tasked with preparing other cadets for field training, and ultimately, a career in the greater Air Force. Upon commissioning, Bergers will go on to serve as a second lieutenant in the US Space Force.
The Changing Face of the Force
Ashley Burney, a fourth-year majoring in electrical engineering is a deputy squadron commander. Her job entails management and developing the leadership of underclassmen in the program (GMC cadets). Burney tells us that there has been a lot of advancement and women paving the way in the military for decades. Women continue to be the future of the US military. Historically, women began to breakthrough in the US armed forces during WWII and were only allowed into the U.S. Air Force Academy and sister service academies starting in 1976.
“That’s fairly recent,” Burney notes. But the field is quickly changing. Though women today only make up 17.4% of the active-duty force, that number continues to grow. Burney acknowledges that there are many women who have set an example for future generations. She states the importance of having a female role model, especially in a historically male dominated field. “And I want to be that person I wished I had,” she says of her work in the program. She wants to be an example for all cadets, but especially female cadets who may be just starting out with leadership development. Burney points out that that is one of her reasons for joining ROTC, “I want to help others.” But quickly she adds, “it’s not so much about why you join, but why you decide to stay.” For her, it’s because of the community that ROTC and the real Air Force create. And it’s a community that she wants to take part in creating.
Finding Their Space
Ava Rohrbaugh, a second-year majoring in biology with pre-med track, reflects on a very familiar aspect. Again, the case for community is made. She tells us that ROTC has introduced her to a group of similarly driven students, which she remarks is “empowering.” Most notably, she talks about the ways in which the program allows her to interact with students of very different backgrounds and learn to listen to their varied perspectives and to respect those differences.
Rohrbaugh joined the program her sophomore year, instead of the first year like many cadets. This placed her in what she described as “unknown territory,” which can be intimidating for someone with no familial connections to or experience with the military. Despite this, Rohrbaugh cites a support system that is essentially built into the program that helps her push herself to her fullest potential. Cadets are not only a part of Detachment 720 at large, they also participate in smaller groups — squadrons and flights within those squadrons. Essentially, they are part of smaller communities, too.
The Path Forward
Bergers believes that the US Space Force (USSF) is the future, especially in relation to quantum computing, the tech industry and cyber security. “It all really starts up in space,” she notes, adding that space has been described as the ‘soft-belly’ of the United States by US Air Force (USAF) and USSF officials. The USSF is a relatively new addition to the Department of the Air Force, having been established in 2019. Bergers highlights that as far as getting more women into STEM, the USSF presents a great opportunity and is a great “place to start expanding.”
These three young women only represent a small number of the Detachment’s female members. All three interviewees reflected on their time at the Detachment, underlining that from the cadre to the cadets, there are women in empowering positions at Detachment 720 and in the Air Force at large.
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