Promoting Diversity

Aggie Cadets Promote Diversity

(L-R) Cadet Alexander, Cadet Mompoint, Captain Ferguson , Major Cunningham , Cadet Parks, and Cadet Oketunmbi attend the Houston Black College Expo on Saturday October 8, 2022.

Cadets James Parks, Robert Alexander, Michael Oketunmbi, Michael Mompoint, CPT (P) Ferguson, and MAJ Cunningham on behalf of United States Cadet Command, 1st Brigade, Texas A&M University (TAMU) Army ROTC participated in the Houston Black College Expo on Saturday October 8, 2022. The team did an outstanding job recruiting black college high and middle school students who were exploring resources to fund their future college education.

Houston Black College expo is an annual event that connects “students to positive-secondary pursuits by providing resources and services to help them prepare for, enroll in, and graduate from a degree and/or certificate program”. This year over 3,000 students attended the event. Over 50 Historically Black Colleges, various organizations offering scholarship, local Army recruiters, and Army ROTC were present.

To recruit and encourage more diversity in our student body and leadership positions in the Army, TAMU cadets and cadre represented the senior military colleges and military junior colleges. The team interacted with students, parents, teachers, and circle of influencers. They received over 50 leads and built relationships with local black leaders in the school system.

Aggies Go to West Point

Texas A&M Army ROTC Cadet Ethan Finney (2nd row, 2nd from left) attends West Point’s Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA)

Two invited Army ROTC Cadets Finney and Teachout from Texas A&M served as representatives to West Point’s Student Conference on US Affairs (SCUSA) through Texas A&M’s own Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA).

“I was honored to represent my organization and my university at this prestigious conference.” Finney, International Studies student said.

SCUSA is an annual four-day conference that brings cadets and students from across the country to discuss the United States' foreign policy decisions and obstacles we may face in the future. This year the topic was, "American Foreign Policy in an Era of Polarized Politics and Revisionist Powers" allowing delegates to focus on topics that are uniquely relevant to our everyday lives and future careers. “As an Aggie cadet, being at West Point was a once in a lifetime opportunity. To see what is different between West Point and Texas A&M was to be expected, but to see how many things we share from our practices to love of traditions was captivating.” Finney commented.

One of the Cadets observed differences between the two great institutions: The historic military Gothic architecture of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point and the neoclassical buildings at Texas A&M in College Station, TX. Besides these differences, the personnel attending the roundtable share the common goal of getting into the discussions that are nested in the overall conference theme, "U.S. Foreign Policymaking in a Politically Polarized Time."

The Cadets debated heavily over the ins and outs of U.S. policy decisions but become cohesive when solving a large scale national problem. No two delegates were