{"678784":{"#nid":"678784","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Engineering Student Named Among Top Army ROTC Cadets Nationally ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECivil engineering student and ROTC cadet Mason Ladd will graduate from Georgia Tech this week with more than his diploma and a pair of U.S. Army second lieutenant\u2019s bars. Ladd will also end a stellar career at Georgia Tech with the distinction of being ranked one of the top cadets among the approximately 5,000 new officers joining the branch this year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Army Cadet Command ranked Ladd No. 2 among cadets being commissioned in the Fall 2024 cycle, according to Lt. Col. Bradford Morgan, commander of Georgia Tech\u2019s Army ROTC.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCadet Ladd\u2019s dedication to his academics, military training, and his fellow cadets is commendable and certainly deserving of this distinction,\u201d Morgan said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn addition to maintaining a 4.0 GPA each semester at Georgia Tech, Ladd consistently volunteered his personal time to enhance the ROTC program by assisting fellow cadets to plan rigorous training support various events. He also served as treasurer of the Georgia Tech Chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers, was the captain of the Army ROTC Ranger Challenge Team, and served as president of the Army ROTC Cadet Association.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELadd\u2019s national ranking \u2014 which is calculated based on academic performance, training performance, physical fitness standards, and instructor evaluations \u2014 means that he could have chosen just about any job in the Army.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELadd chose the infantry.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cInfantry offers more immediate challenges and opportunities like Ranger School,\u201d Ladd said. \u201cIt\u2019s also a proving ground and opens doors to other fields like military intelligence, which could lead to roles with the FBI or CIA.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELadd, who grew up in Buford, will be following his father, a former U.S. Navy submarine crew member, into the military. His great grandfather also served during World War II, as an Army engineer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cROTC has given me exposure to stressful situations, teaching me to make quick, confident decisions and stick to them while explaining my reasoning. Georgia Tech has prepared me through challenging academics, balancing deadlines, and thriving under pressure. Both experiences have built confidence for what\u2019s ahead,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMorgan agreed, saying there\u2019s little better preparation than the combination of Georgia Tech and ROTC, not just for a military career, but for life in an unpredictable, ever-changing world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech\u2019s rigorous academic programs challenge students to push their intellectual limits, preparing them for the complex problems they will face as officers,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin ROTC, state-of-the-art facilities such as the recently dedicated Lt. Tyler Brown Fitness Facility provide cadets with the resources they need physically, while our leadership training helps them grow into leaders capable of inspiring their team to solve tough problems, whether managing a construction project or leading troops on the battlefield.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMason will graduate Dec. 13 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. After commissioning as a second lieutenant, he will report to Fort Moore in Columbus for the Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course. He hopes to attend the prestigious U.S. Army Ranger School after graduating from that school and before reporting to his first combat unit.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECivil engineering student Mason Ladd, who graduates this week, was named the No. 2 cadet in the nation by the U.S. Army Cadet Command.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Civil engineering student Mason Ladd, who graduates this week, was named the No. 2 cadet in the nation by the U.S. Army Cadet Command."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2024-12-06 19:10:45","changed_gmt":"2024-12-10 16:03:35","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675790":{"id":"675790","type":"image","title":"IMG_2711.jpg","body":null,"created":"1733512308","gmt_created":"2024-12-06 19:11:48","changed":"1733512308","gmt_changed":"2024-12-06 19:11:48","alt":"Mason Ladd stands in uniform holding an axe in front of a military helicopter.","file":{"fid":"259456","name":"IMG_2711.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/06\/IMG_2711.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/06\/IMG_2711.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3581844,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/06\/IMG_2711.jpg?itok=sCiLK93r"}}},"media_ids":["675790"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}