Buena Vista University graduate student Jaime Oberg was ranked 60th out of over 5,400 ROTC cadets from across the country in this year’s prestigious national Order of Merit List (OML).
“Cadet Oberg exemplifies what ROTC is all about,” says Capt. Jared Gledhill, assistant professor of military science and officer in charge of the ROTC program at BVU. “She is a true scholar, athlete and leader. She is a role model for other cadets to follow, and a mentor to all.”
Each year, the OML ranks commissioning cadets based on academic and leadership factors including grade point average, performance in a national leadership course and in specific leadership dimensions, physical fitness test scores, and observations made by ROTC instructor cadre.
“I was very surprised but pleased that my performance ranked me in the top one percent of cadets,” says Jaime, a native of Mapleton who is earning her master’s degree in school guidance and counseling. “I feel that this is a great honor for any cadet and I am pleased that I was able to achieve these high standards.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree in interdepartmental studies – health science from the University of Iowa in 2010, Jaime completed her basic training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. She then went on to earn her military occupational specialty (MOS) as an intelligence analyst at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Ariz. before returning to Iowa and deciding to attend BVU.
“My intentions are to build a career path that will serve me my entire military career,” says Jaime, who will commission in May 2013 as a military intelligence officer in the Iowa National Guard. “Daily, I look forward to the best leadership experiences possible through tough and demanding field training, leadership opportunities, and developmental experiences.”
Within a subsequent OML ranking, Jaime was named fourth in the nation out of over 2,500 cadets who are commissioning in the National Guard or U.S. Army Reserve. She was also ranked as the number one cadet within the Cyclone Battalion (which comprises the ROTC programs at BVU, Drake University and Iowa State University).
“I’ve wanted to be a cadet for as long as I can remember,” says Jaime, who will graduate from BVU in May 2014 and plans to remain active in the Iowa National Guard and become a school counselor. “The military allows me to continually push myself as well as have the opportunity to mentor dedicated young men and women. I’ve learned valuable skills that will benefit me in my future career as an Army officer.”
“As Jaime’s instructor, I could not be prouder of what she has accomplished and what all of the cadets have accomplished this year,” adds Gledhill. “Jaime proved that a cadet from a relatively new program can become one of the top cadets in the nation through hard work and dedication.”