ROTC Senior to Graduate in Top 5% of Cadets

Taylor senior Isabel Cotteleer, cadet in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), will graduate this May in the top 3% of the nation’s female ROTC cadets and the top 5% of all ROTC cadets in the country. Cotteleer will be commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Active Army and will enter the Army as a platoon leader after attending Basic Officer Leadership Course post-graduation.

Students in the ROTC program at Taylor exemplify commitment and dedication. The program consists of regular physical training in the mornings and military science classes throughout their four years. Taylor University partners with Ball State University, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Indiana Wesleyan University companies to form one battalion. Within the Taylor company, there are squads of four to five people.

Commitment to Excellence

Cotteleer’s ROTC story is unique from other cadets. She joined ROTC as a junior and completed basic camp over the summer to accommodate missing the first two years of the program. Upon joining ROTC, she took on the role of squad leader, where she was responsible for maintaining effective communication between the members and ensuring cadets met physical presentation standards.

Cotteleer advanced in leadership roles, becoming an executive officer. By her final semester, Cotteleer was a command sergeant major, one of the top three cadets in charge of enforcing standards and discipline across all four schools in the battalion.

Eventually, Cotteleer rose to rank in the top percentage of all cadets in the country. “It’s been an incredibly humbling experience,” she said recently. “I trusted that God would provide and open doors, and He did. It’s really about answering a call.”

Faith and the Future

Cotteleer sees God’s hand all over her time as a cadet. Despite beginning the program later than most, Cotteleer trusted the Lord and His provision as he opened the right doors for her to pursue her calling.

“ROTC was just one of the many ways that God worked in my life during my time at Taylor,” Cotteleer said. “It was a way for Him to open my eyes to how He was already aligning my steps with His plans. All He was asking was for me to respond with the same open, obedient heart that Isaiah had in Isaiah 6:8.”

After graduation, Cotteleer will commission as a second lieutenant in the Active Army, where she hopes to learn, grow, and protect those in need. She looks forward to giving God more room to show what He can do through her. Until graduation, she seeks to enjoy the time she has left and continue to transition into a furthered leadership mindset.