Madison Roberts
The lure of the University of North Georgia (91ÁÔÆæ) Corps of Cadets kept Dawsonville, Georgia's Madison”Paige” Roberts determined to become a Nighthawk.
"I always wanted to be part of the corps, and I was inspired by my high school JROTC experience," Roberts said. "I was eaten up by anxiety, overweight and wanted to get out of my little anxiety bubble."
She joined her high school JROTC drill and rifle teams and enjoyed the physical fitness and later participated in the National Leadership Challenge, where she became better acquainted with 91ÁÔÆæ.
The granddaughter of Dr. Linda Roberts-Betsch, former 91ÁÔÆæ vice president for Academic Affairs, Roberts attended countless events at 91ÁÔÆæ's Dahlonega Campus.
"She acquainted me with 91ÁÔÆæ. I wanted to go here after graduation in 2020," Roberts said.
The journey began at the Gainesville Campus, and a transfer to Dahlonega provided the opportunity to complete Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week, Basic Camp, Pre-Camp, and then Advanced Camp in summer 2023. She is taking 19 credit hours each of her final two semesters, as she pursues a degree in cybersecurity.
"I must keep my head on straight and really drive forward because I have this dream and it's slowly coming together. I'm in the finish line area," Roberts said.
Currently a company officer in the corps, Roberts was involved in the planning of Fall FROG Week in fall 2023. She describes her leadership style as direct and compassionate.
"I am straightforward, and I have learned how to balance being too straightforward and understanding your team to make sure you're not being too aggressive toward them," Roberts said. "But I would say being compassionate and understanding is what makes a good leader. Having your team's best interest in mind is always good. Understanding what every team member is going through, and if you can see they're acting weird, make sure everything's OK."
Roberts said that discipline is an underrated aspect of leadership.
"If someone is not really disciplined, they don’t think they need to listen to anybody and that can get out of control. But when you’re a leader, you have to control that lack of discipline. It's all about mentality," Roberts said.
She attributes her leadership abilities to her determination and passion for joining the Corps of Cadets.
"If you ever feel like it is very hard to get to a certain goal, you just have to keep pushing forward. You have to know in your head where you want to be and how you want to go," Roberts said. "You can't listen to distractions. Just keep your head on straight and keep pushing forward because you have a goal and you just can't let other people distract you from it."
Ben Jarrard
Ben Jarrard always dreamed of following his father and grandfather into the military. A medical condition changed his career path, and Jarrard is grateful to be able to represent his alma mater as a liaison at the state Capitol.
Dwight Bennett
1st Lt. Dwight Bennett learned lessons in resiliency at 91ÁÔÆæ while seeing the world through his studies of the Arabic language.
Bob Mathews
91ÁÔÆæ's Corps of Cadets and the Army prepared Bob Mathews for a successful business career.
Samantha Ethridge
For Samantha Ethridge, each leadership role helped her determine her own leadership style. "I started learning more about myself and how I wanted to lead."