Amanda Turcotte wakes up for a 12-mile ruck march at Onondaga Lake at 3 a.m. She doesn’t get back to her dorm until around 7:30 a.m. After removing her weighted backpack, she hops in the shower to get ready for class like any other college student, which she is, except for when she attends ROTC classes.
News
Meet Our 2026 Keynote Speaker, Lt. Col. Alison Murray ’01, P’26, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Before she was this year’s keynote speaker, Lt. Col. Alison Murray ’01, P’26, U.S. Army (Ret.) was a student on this campus, training as an Army ROTC cadet, cheering at games, and working toward the same milestone our graduates are reaching now. Today, she is still part of the Syracuse community, which makes this moment even more meaningful. As she delivers the keynote address, she will also watch her son, Dwayne II, walk across the stage and join the Syracuse alumni community.
Hometown Hero: Quynn Sweeney
United States Army Sergeant and current Syracuse University Army ROTC cadet Quynn Sweeney hails from Fulton, New York. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2019 and has been serving on active duty for six years. Quynn initially trained at the 5th Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to become 37 Foxtrot, Psychological Operations Specialist from 2020 to 2021. She later changed her Army occupational skill to 92 Alpha, Automated Logistics Specialist.
A Military Child with a Family Rooted in Service, and Finding a Second Home at S.U.
April is the Month of the Military Child. For Sabrina Lussier, it is also the month she wraps up four years at Syracuse University: three majors, a semester in Florence, a research fellowship, and a master’s program waiting on the other side.
Military-Connected Alum Brings Cutting-Edge Wellness Tool to NVRC
The compact wellness pod offers four- to six-minute guided meditations and breathing exercises designed to help users reset between classes or commitments.
NVRC Hall of Honor Walk: U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dwayne Murray ’92
The Hall of Honor Walk video series features notable people from the military-connected community at Syracuse Univeristy. In addition to learning about the individuals who make Syracuse University the “Best Place for Veterans,” viewers can learn a little bit about the university’s historic commitment to support service members, veterans, and military families.
109th Chancellor’s Review Honors Army and Air Force ROTC Cadets
Dating back to 1917, the annual tradition brought together cadets, families and University leaders at the JMA Wireless Dome for a formal inspection and awards presentation.
Continue ReadingHometown Hero: Nick Hardy
United States Army veteran Nicholas Hardy was born in Syracuse, New York and raised in Vestal. Nick enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately after 9/11 and attended basic training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, becoming at 13B, Cannon Crewmember. Nick attended basic airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia, and he was later assigned as a paratrooper to the 173rd Airborne Brigade – the Sky Soldiers – in Vincenza, Italy.
Hometown Hero: Analice Baker
U.S. Navy Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class (MC2) Analice Baker’s military lineage runs deep in her family. Raised in Red Bank, New Jersey by a U.S. Army Airborne Ranger and a mother whose talents matched her intelligence, she grew up surrounded by family members who collectively spent decades in uniform.
Hometown Hero: Kat Whitson
United States Army Second Lieutenant Katherine “Kat” Whitson was born in Augusta, Georgia and was raised in Grovetown, Georgia. Kat enrolled at the Georgia Military College in 2022, where she earned two associate degrees while participating in numerous extracurricular activities. Her dedication to academic excellence and service culminated in being named a Distinguished Graduate, graduating summa cum laude at the top of her class. A member of the Army’s Early Commissioning Program (ECP), Kat was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2024.
Continue Reading