Fifty Years and Counting

By Cadet Grace Shimkus ’24, regimental executive officer 

As many of our alumni community have noticed, we have incorporated the celebration of the 50th anniversary of women in the Corps of Cadets into our activities this year. It is our privilege to be the first military college to reach this milestone.

Fifty years of trials, errors, and successes have built a program that is striving towards perfection, one that will never rest on what works today, but focuses on the needs of tomorrow.

We have woven that celebration into our events this year and when we reflect on how women were incorporated into the ranks in 1973, this approach makes sense. The story did not end with admitting women. We had to constantly evolve. We had to look at every aspect of cadet life and determine what modifications would be necessary within a new co-ed construct. Did we get it right from the start? Of course not. But we've never stopped adapting. 

During alumni events this year, I had the opportunity to interact with some notable female alums to better understand how their time in the Corps as females helped shape their lives.

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has been around since 1872, but it wasn’t until 1973 that we admitted women. The first female cadets were assigned to L Squadron, among them was Emily (Pillsbury) Davis ’77. Davis had the opportunity to serve as the first sergeant of L Squadron and later, as its third company commander. “It wasn’t always easy,” Davis told me. “We would receive new guidance every day. They would change the rules because having women in the program was not something that had been done before, so we had to adapt.” Her experiences as one of the first females in the Corps speaks volumes about facing hardships and seeking improvement. 

Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michele Compton ’83 was the first female Corps alumna to pin on one star. She served for over 30 years, starting as an intelligence platoon leader within Alpha Company, 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion. She was one of just a few females out of fifty soldiers in her platoon. When asked about leadership challenges as a female officer, Compton explained, “As a female senior leader working with foreign militaries, I broke barriers and opened the doors for women following in my footsteps.” Compton said, “Many foreign militaries didn’t have female senior leaders; sometimes even the lower ranked females worked strictly in the admin and protocol areas. Sometimes they were amazed. Sometimes I had to prove myself.” Compton offered advice: “You may be breaking down a barrier to women and not even know it. Support other females; we need to help one another to meet challenges. Seek opportuni - ties for increased knowledge and training. Always strive to do better each day.”

Our female cadets continue to lead and inspire others in the regiment and cadet organizations. Growing Leaders of Women (GLOW) is a new Corps organization that is dedicated to empowering female cadets to serve in leadership roles and become role models for others.

“We established GLOW this semester to foster a sense of community for all women in the Corps and provide mentorship to underclassmen female cadets,” said Cadet Madison Kuriger, the president of GLOW.

“We have hosted several events this semester such as movie nights, self-defense trainings, and Breast Cancer Awareness Day. We are also involved in helping female veterans and local women in the Blacksburg community.”

Kuriger added, “Our main goal is to help women in the Corps feel comfortable with who they are in a predominantly male environment.” Although GLOW is in its early years, it has established a strong membership base and hopes to expand outreach to the alumni community.

You can follow GLOW on Instagram: @vtccglow