Eight 1st Class commissioning cadets along with their faculty leadership team toured Japan, a key U.S. ally, during spring furlough as part of the Olmsted Foundation’s Undergraduate Program. Cadets were chosen based on their GPA, ROTC ranking, a written essay, and personal interview.

Lt. Col. Jochen Arndt, associate professor in the history department at Virginia Military Institute, will discuss the complex histories of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa, including the violent clashes between them in the 1990s, on the public radio program, With Good Reason, April 1-7.

Cadet Chris Cocoris ‘23 remembers growing up listening to stories about his great-uncle George Cocoris. They were passed down to his father since his great-uncle had passed before Cocoris was born. George joined the Greek resistance to oppose the Axis occupation in 1941 Greece, Cocoris said.   

Lt. Col. Mark Boonshoft, associate professor in the history department at Virginia Military Institute, will discuss the literacy tests that denied many Black Americans the right to vote during Jim Crow on the public radio program, "With Good Reason," March 18-24.

Cadets participated in the annual three-day Appalachia Regional Model Arab League debate recently at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. MAL helps prepare students to be knowledgeable, well-trained, and effective citizens as well as civic and public affairs activists.

Christopher M. Hulburt ’22, valedictorian of the Class of 2022 at Virginia Military Institute, spoke during commencement, of what brought his fellow cadets and himself to VMI, and what kept them at VMI, and the importance of attributes like honor, duty, excellence, and integrity.

Christopher Hulburt ’22 researched contributions of 19th Century African-Americans at VMI in senior thesis “Unearthed Contributors: African-Americans at Virginia Military Institute, 1839-1851.”

This year's Honors Week showcased research and scholarship across all disciplines by 34 cadets who presented their research to the wider VMI community. The annual event also saw a large number of cadets inducted into academic honor societies.

In his senior thesis “Unearthed Contributors: African-Americans at Virginia Military Institute, 1839-1851,” Christopher M. Hulbert ’22 argues that enslaved African-Americans and free people of color in Rockbridge County were equally influential as Smith and Preston.

Has the Army improved since the Vietnam war? Has it acknowledged and corrected the mistakes made? Michael M. Hoffmann ’22, who commands the 1st Battalion within the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Military Institute, believes it has and defended his thesis during Honors Week.