Cadet Collin Brackin of Shippensburg University was named the top-ranking Army ROTC cadet on Sept. 25, for the 2016 fiscal year, out of nearly 6,000 students.
Thousands of college seniors in the U.S. Army ROTC program are placed on the order-of-merit list each year in hopes of being selected as some of the highest-ranked student cadets in the country. These candidates are chosen based on their abilities and potential and can come from colleges nationwide.
Brackin came to SU three years ago when he received a scholarship offer from the ROTC. Coming from Oxford, Pennsylvania, Brackin has been highly involved in SU’s events and organizations since his freshman year and has developed a very active involvement in the ROTC program.
“I really took pride in my work, and [I] have been committed to the program since day one,” Brackin said.
The ranking process of each cadet hinges upon the individual’s performance in academics, athletics, leadership and his or her involvement in extracurricular activities. To make the task more competitive, both part-time and full-time senior cadets are included in the ranking, with only about 40 percent being selected for the list of the top-ranked senior cadets.
In the past three years, the scale used for ranking senior cadets has changed quite significantly; so much so that Brackin did not know for sure until this past spring just what he would be ranked upon. A portion of the ranking was conducted by Lt. Col. Matthew Sober, who has worked as Brackin’s superior officer in the ROTC program at SU for the past four years.
“I really got to see him [Brackin] grow as a person over the past four years. It was pretty neat,” Sober said. “If he would’ve been given this task as a freshman, he would still be No. 1.”
Sober said many of the higher-ranking cadets study subjects involving technology and engineering and that Brackin’s English major did not give him any significant advantage prior to his ranking.
Brackin was notified of his ranking on Sept. 25, while he was at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, with fellow junior and senior cadets. When he was informed by Sober that he was chosen out of cadets at 275 universities, in 50 states and four territories, the feeling was indescribable.
“It was awesome. I knew by then that I was in the top 10 percent and on active duty,” Brackin said. “It really made sense that I was out doing stuff with the ROTC program that night.”
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.