VPI Battalion: The Internship Advantage

By Ken Mallory ’06, assistant director of the Citizen-Leader Track/VPI Battalion

Cadets in the Corps' Citizen-Leader Track lead extremely busy lives, combining their studies with opportunity as they prepare to lead lives of service, to their community, nation, and greater world. Honing their leadership and management skills throughout the academic year, many Citizen-Leader cadets put these skills to the test, pursuing summer opportunities to better prepare them for life after graduation. This takes many forms, and the diversity of summer experiences matches that of the cadets themselves and their wide array of majors and areas of professional interest. Whether in a suit on Capitol Hill, wearing a hard hat at a construction site, training for military service, or volunteering to bring much-needed aid to those less fortunate, Citizen-Leader Hokies are going the extra mile. 

Cadet Jenna Mathis

VPI Battalion’s sergeant major, Cadet Jenna Mathis, a junior majoring in human nutrition, foods, and exercise, accepted a position with Global Medical Brigades, an international movement of students and medical professionals that works to provide sustainable solutions for women's health in Athens, Greece. While there, she was able to shadow doctors, complete administrative work, and volunteer her time to aid refugees at a shelter for unaccompanied minors. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a career in medicine as a doctor for the armed services. Of her experience, Mathis feels that making connections with people was the most valuable part of her travels, along with language interpretation, cultural awareness, and dedication. "You don’t have to know everything; you just have to know enough to make your patients comfortable and at ease. Relationships matter, and being culturally aware helps sustain those relationships,” Mathis said. 

Cadet Joshua Buckingham

A senior majoring in history and political science, Cadet Joshua Buckingham recently returned to Blacksburg after completing the “Hokies on the Hill” undergraduate internship program during the spring 2022 semester with U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman ’81. Through this and other opportunities while in the nation's capital, Buckingham served on the front line of politics, answering phones and constituent queries through many hot-button world events such as the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and the Uvalde, Texas school tragedy. Of his experiences on Capitol Hill, he attributes much of his success to the Corps and the CitizenLeader program. Learning how to “talk and interact with important people, say the right things to win over and influence others, are skills that I learned in part from VPI. Networking has become a major word in my vocabulary,” Buckingham said. Though he admits his time in Washington, D.C. was challenging, he said “it allowed me to grow, escape the routine of being a student, and explore opportunities to open more doors for the future.” 

Cadet Makenzie Milligan

Cadet Makenzie Milligan, a senior double majoring in criminology and sociology, traded one uniform for another as she joined the Ocean City Police Department in Maryland over the summer as a public safety officer. The police department is a frequent partner with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and Milligan was one of three cadets to join their ranks in 2022. After finding out about the opportunity at a recruitment event during a VPI lab during the fall semester in 2021, Milligan applied. As the daughter of a mother employed with the federal government, working for the government was something she said she “always wanted to do, had always been around, and had grown up with.” Milligan felt prepared for the hiring process thanks to her time in VPI Battalion. “Working with Lt. Col. Cox and Mr. Mallory to prep my resume, conduct a mock interview, and help prepare me for the hiring process really helped,” she said. Learning time management in the Corps was vital as well, and gave her confidence while managing fastpaced and dynamic scenes. The summer experience helped prepare her for success in the future, and opened doors to even more opportunities. “I’m currently in the indoctrination phase of employment with the U.S. Capitol Police. Ocean City helped make that connection happen. The moment I put that experience on my resume, it was an attention-getter,” Milligan said. 

Cadet Sidney Fredericks and Cadet Samuel Stewart

There are few situations that are more ideal than when a Corps alum has found success that provides the opportunity to give back and offer growth and learning opportunities for cadets. Mr. Sam Ely ‘01 founded Percival Engineering after leaving military service and turned to Virginia Tech and the Corps of Cadets to mentor and train potential employees. Cadet Sidney Fredericks, a sophomore majoring in computer science and Cadet Sam Stewart, a networking and cybersecurity senior, both were able to pursue this generous opportunity in Columbia, MD, to work on real-world problems in cyber technology and security. Cadet Stewart was gratified to work on such projects, noting that his work had a real stake for the company. Not solving a problem meant that his failure was the company’s failure. This type of work, though at times stressful, was incredibly rewarding for Stewart. Cadet Fredericks enjoyed the team approach at Percival Engineering. “Anyone could ask anyone else for help at any time; it was a team effort,” she said. They both view the internship as an extremely valuable experience. Fredericks said, “Working for Sam was awesome; it was great to hear how an alum was able to build a company and culture from the ground up.” If you would like the opportunity to partner with one of our stellar CitizenLeader cadets through an internship program or similar experience or would like more information about the CitizenLeader Track, contact Ken Mallory, assistant director of the Citizen-Leader Track, at kemallor@vt.edu.