Twelve ROTC cadets from Northeastern University commissioned as new officers in the Army

ROTC cadets embrace new Army careers in cyber training, nursing, aviation and more

by Cynthia McCormick Hibbert

May 3, 2026

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While their classmates slept, Northeastern University cadets in the Boston-based Liberty Battalion rose at 5 a.m. to do pushups and situps on Carter Field. 

They took long walks with weighted vests for Army rucking exercises and participated in leadership training labs in addition to their regular coursework.

For 12 Northeastern graduating cadets, the ROTC journey culminated Saturday in a ceremony at historic Faneuil Hall in Boston, where they were commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army.

“You’ve conquered every challenge the cadet command has thrown at you with grace and honor,” said Army Lt. Col. Steve Fennessey, Northeastern professor of military science. “You’ve got the skills, the fitness, the compassion and the empathy” that the service needs, he said.

Five of the cadets — Christian Figueroa, Louis Mills, Michael Nicholas, Madison O’Neil and Bob Zheng – were recognized as “Distinguished Military Graduates,” which means they were ranked in the top 20% of 5,500 cadets nationally, based on superior scholastic ability, physical fitness and leadership potential.

Mills, who will be heading to Fort Benning in Georgia in a few weeks for infantry training, also received Northeastern’s ROTC President’s Award.

“I wanted to be where the tough decisions are being made,” Mills said about choosing infantry. “I wanted to challenge myself.”

He said the best part of ROTC was meeting “really great people,” from fellow cadets to leaders of the ROTC group, which is called a cadre.

ROTC “is where I met all my closest friends,” said Zheng, who majored in computer science and is pursuing training in the cyber branch of the military.

Like several other cadets, including Alexandra Aranovich, Maxwell Hwee and John Kim, Mills and Zheng chose to receive the ceremonial “first salute” as a new officer from ROTC instructor Sgt. Tanner Brown. “It means a lot to me to be here today and to be the first person to give them the honor of the first salute,” Brown said.

Other cadets chose family members who have served in the military.  

Sarah Majka, who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, will be heading to Fort Rucker in Alabama to train as a helicopter pilot next year. She received her first salute from her grandfather, Ron Majka, who served in the U.S. Air Force.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a while,” he said, noting that generations of the family have served in different branches of the military. He also attended his granddaughter’s graduation from an air assault course at Fort Benning in Georgia two years ago.

The support of family and friends will continue to be important to the new officers, said guest speaker retired Army Col. Diane Ryan, whose military career included combat missions in Iraq and who is currently an associate dean in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University.

“You have set the conditions for these leaders to serve and persevere,” said Ryan, noting that in addition to wearing a uniform herself, “I’ve been a daughter, I’ve been a spouse, I’ve been a mom” to those serving in the military.

Catherine MacDonough received her first salute from her brother Joseph MacDonough, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Space Force. She said the ROTC helped her maintain focus in college, and she is looking forward to passing her nursing exams and joining the Army Nurse Corps. “It’s such a great way to serve,” she said.

Abigail Henry, who will be training in military intelligence in Arizona with the eventual goal of going to law school, said, “ROTC taught me to get out of my comfort zone.”

“She’s a leader,” said her mother, April St. Hilaire, who pinned the gold bar insignia of second lieutenant on her daughter’s uniform shoulders with Abigail’s grandfather Stewart Henry. 

“It’s been five years of hard work,” Stewart Henry said.

Allyson Gamache, who will serve in the Army Reserves as an adjutant general officer, had her parents, Jamis and Caryn Gamache, join her in the pinning ceremony and received her first salute from her fiancé, Army Sgt. Jacob Gouger.

The wedding is set for October of 2027, she said. “He’s deploying in a couple of weeks, so we are waiting until after his deployment.”

Ryan noted that the cadets are part of a select group of volunteers serving the nation, representing less than 1% of their graduating class. “Graduating from college is a pretty big deal, but today is arguably an even bigger deal,” she said. 

And everywhere the new officers go, they will uphold the ideals of the U.S. Constitution, Ryan said.

Taking their oath in a space once occupied by the earliest American patriots ‘is a powerful, powerful reminder that your commission is not just about leading soldiers, it’s about safeguarding” democratic principles, she said.

“While the president serves as commander in chief, your oath is not to a person but to the principles enshrined” in the Constitution, Ryan said. 

In addition to the Northeastern cadets, Scott Romano of Suffolk University, also received his U.S. Army commission in the Saturday ceremony.