Four UOG ROTC cadets rank in nation’s top 20%

Four UOG ROTC cadets rank in nation’s top 20%

Four UOG ROTC cadets rank in nation’s top 20%


11/22/2019

(From left) UOG ROTC cadets Lucand Camacho; Brendan Santos; Michael Schommer; and Jeanie Nguyen.
(From left) UOG ROTC cadets Lucand Camacho; Brendan Santos; Michael Schommer; and Jeanie Nguyen.

Four cadets from the University of Guam Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps have earned the honor of Distinguished Military Graduate, placing them in the top 20% of more than 5,000 Army ROTC graduates nationwide.

ROTC Cadets and Administrators group picture
(From left) Thomas W. Krise, president of UOG; Major General Esther J.C. Aguigui, adjutant general, Guam National Guard; cadets Michael Schommer; Lucand Camacho; Brendan Santos; Jeanie Nguyen; Lt. Col. Thomas N. Anderson, professor of military science; Sen. Amanda Shelton; and Sen. Wil Castro.
The honor is determined by grade-point average, performance on the Army physical fitness test, demonstrated leadership in their trainings, and character.

Earning the title of Distinguished Military Graduate are:

  • Lucand Camacho
  • Jeanie Nguyen
  • Brendan Santos
  • Michael Schommer

“I am so proud of our cadets for being named DMGs,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Anderson, professor of military science at UOG. “Each one of them worked hard over the course of their college experience to be the very best they could be, oftentimes sacrificing fun or relaxation in order to maximize the benefits of their college and ROTC experiences. They all demonstrated not just academic excellence, but leadership and service to others.”

The designation is one that will stay with them throughout their careers, Anderson said.

Jeanie Nguyen, a cadet in UOG's ROTC program, shakes hands at a Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 12
Jeanie Nguyen, a cadet in UOG's ROTC program, shakes hands with (from left) Major General Esther J.C. Aguigui, adjutant general of the Guam National Guard, UOG President Thomas W. Krise, and Professor of Military Science Lt. Col. Thomas N. Anderson at a Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 12
“It is a term that lets other Army leaders know that the cadets are serious scholars and leaders,” he said.

The cadets were notified of the honor and recognized by senators and University leadership at the University’s Veterans Day Tribute ceremony on Nov. 12.

Schommer will graduate this coming December and be commissioned as an infantry officer. The other three will graduate in May. Camacho will be commissioned as a cyber officer, Nguyen as a finance officer, and Santos as an engineer officer.