Engineering/ROTC Graduates Begin Military Careers as Officers

On a hot morning in May, Second Lt. Alex Kim was ready to officially begin his career in the U.S. Army just after receiving his M.S. in Materials Science & Engineering. 

Joining Kim at the Spring 2018 Tri-Service Commissioning Ceremony, held at Foellinger Auditorium on May 14, were seven fellow Engineering graduates. Those engineers joined a total of 44 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ROTC cadets to become officers or ensigns.  

Now attending the Infantry Basic Officer Leaders Course at Fort Benning in Georgia, Kim credits his Illinois Engineering education in preparing him for this next stage in his life.

“The level of knowledge and critical thinking required in any engineering course leaves little room for not being able to adapt,” Kim said. “What my engineering education at Illinois taught me was that in order to succeed in such a fast-paced environment, I needed to be disciplined.”

Kim took a less-traditional route in joining the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Army ROTC by starting the program as a third-year cadet, following an intense summer of training camp. 

While Second Lt. Samuel Chung enrolled in the Army ROTC all four years as an undergraduate at Illinois, like Kim, he has found a connection between the two disciplines.

“My engineering education definitely taught me the importance of hard work, which transferred over to military work,” Chung said. “My experience with ROTC has also transferred skills to my engineering academics, such as professionalism, organizing meetings and giving presentations.”

Chung, who received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, is now a U.S. Army Reserves engineering officer who works with the 604th Engineer Detachment in Orlando. He said he will use his engineering degree when he works for defense contractor, Northrop Grumman Corporation. 

Prospective ROTC cadets will find that their education opens doors to a multitude of career choices within the U.S. Military’s engineering field, according to Capt. Anthony Corapi, Commanding Officer of the University of Illinois Naval ROTC and Department Head for the Department of Naval Science.

“Speaking from a Navy point-of-view, College of Engineering students can expect to pursue careers in Naval aviation, nuclear engineering on submarines or an aircraft carrier, traditional surface warfare on a Navy surface combatant, Navy Special Warfare (SEALS) and explosive ordnance disposal,” Corapi said.  

As technology continues to grow in the military, the demand for engineers grows as well. 

“The modern military is built around some of the most technologically advanced machines in the world,” Corapi said. “To operate those machines requires men and women who have been educated in engineering theories and concepts. The experience gained by operating some of those systems, coupled with an engineering discipline, is a force multiplier to our success on the battlefield.”

Both Chung and Kim suggest a military career for those engineers seeking roles focused on discipline and leadership.

“I would recommend this path to prospective engineering students if they can handle time management and are very hard working,” Chung said. 

“For those that want to use their engineering degree to make a significant impact on the lives of others, being an officer in the military gives you that opportunity because, in the end, the job of an officer is to take care of people,” Kim said.

The full list of Illinois engineers who took their Oath of Office at the Spring 2018 Tri-Service Commissioning Ceremony are as follows:

Army
2LT Samuel Chung: Aerospace Engineering
2LT Alex Kim: Materials Science and Engineering
2LT Craig Muncaster III: Engineering Physics
 
Navy
Ensign Michael Brady: Electrical Engineering
Ensign Rune Brown: Aerospace Engineering
Ensign Sean Pepin: Aerospace Engineering
Ensign Zachary Thoren: Agricultural Engineering
 
Air Force
2LT James Case: Engineering Physics