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Three Kentucky State University students recently graduated from Cadet Summer Training Advance Camp at Fort Knox.

Paola Flores Vélez, Jackie Zubiate and Vinsetta Covington completed the capstone training event for ROTC cadets across the over 1,100 campuses that maintain an Army ROTC program nationwide.

According to Dr. John C. Gregory, director of veterans and military student affairs at, advanced camp is a 38-day training module that prepares cadets to be second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

“The training was challenging; however, I knew that since I survived basic training then I was going to make it through 38 days of training,” Zubiate, a senior from Riverside, California, said.

“This training is designed to challenge you physically and mentally and to see how well you can perform under different situations,” Vélez, a senior from Puerto Rico, said. “The goal of ROTC is to create leaders, so through this training, they want to assess your leadership skills more than anything.”

Covington, a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, said it was a good experience, but tough.

“The emphasis on teamwork really helps to make the environment easier to adjust to and learn in,” Covington said. “As long as everyone was lending a helping hand, every mission we had to accomplish was tackled.”

Covington said she joined ROTC because she needed a change in her life.

“I joined the Army National Guard and was able to experience a bit of the enlisted side of being a soldier, then I decided I would love to be a leader and be on the side to become a commissioned officer,” Covington said.

Zubiate said she initially joined ROTC for financial reasons.

“After going to a couple of classes I loved what I was learning,” Zubiate said.

Flores said she’s been interested in the Army since high school.

“My grandpa went to WWII and all my uncles from my dad’s side of the family were part of the Army, too, including my dad,” Vélez said. “So, I’m the first female to follow their steps, even though they were enlisted, and I’ll be the first officer.”

Zubiate encouraged anyone interested in joining ROTC to give it a try.

“If you are considering joining ROTC, do it,” Zubiate said. “You have nothing to lose. You can try it for a semester and if you enjoy it, continue with it. If not, then you are not obligated to take anymore classes.”