Wellesley’s Class of 2019 ROTC Cadets Begin Careers as Military Officers

Emma Carter-LaMarche ’19, Jessica Schuyler ’19, and Jordanne Stobbs-Vergara ’19 transitioned from cadets to U.S. military officers during a May 30 commissioning ceremony in the Alumnae Hall ballroom.

The three women finished four years in the Army and Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and have achieved the rank of second lieutenant. They were sworn in as family members pinned gold bars on their shoulders.

Stobbs-Vergara, of Centennial, Colo., said she was inspired to pursue a military career by the 1997 action film G.I. Jane. “The actress in that movie, Demi Moore, portrayed a strong female leader, and I wanted to be that—capable and confident.”

A political science major and Middle Eastern studies minor, Stobbs-Vergara joined the Air Force because of its long, proud heritage. She will attend Harvard Law School and serve as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.

Schuyler, of Nashua, N.H., also a political science major, said she too was drawn to the military by the opportunity to assume a leadership role. “I think it’s a good fit for my personality,” she said. “It’s been my long-term goal to be a leader, and I have a lot of respect for service.” Schuyler will serve in the Army’s Chemical Corps branch detail.

Carter-LaMarche, of Worcester, Mass., a history major with a minor in Middle Eastern studies, said she looks forward to bringing a critical focus to her role as an officer. “One major thing I’ve learned at Wellesley is to be a critical thinker,” she said. “That and my liberal arts focus will help me grow and build up the people under my command.” She will serve as an active duty Field Artillery officer.

In her remarks at the ceremony, President Paula Johnson said that the country “is at a moment when we never needed leaders more.”

Photo: Schuyler, Stobbs-Vergara, and Carter-LaMarche (left to right) celebrate their achievements.