Cadet Victoria Cameron is the Michigan Technological University Army ROTC Arctic Warrior Battalion’s recipient of the George C. Marshall Award for 2023. Cameron was nominated to represent the battalion at the George C. Marshall Leadership and Awards Seminar, held February 14-15 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
A tradition since 1978, more than 200 of the nation’s top Army ROTC and United States Military Academy cadets met to participate in the event, which featured seminars and roundtable discussions with Army senior leaders, defense experts, cadre, and peers. The experience is a chance to re-emphasize leadership fundamentals, producing cadets skilled at building cohesive teams, said Major General Antonio Munera, commanding general of the US Army Cadet Command.
Eligible cadets are college seniors with leadership positions within their detachments, and are nominated by their respective programs for the award based on scholarship, leadership, physical fitness, and community involvement.
Cameron is a senior management major in the Michigan Tech College of Business, where she also serves as a student ambassador and is on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council. Captain Paul Weiss, interim chair of Michigan Tech Army ROTC, says that Cameron was selected for this reward as a top senior cadet in her cohort. She previously served as the operations officer for @mtuarmyrotc and currently serves as executive officer.
A proven leader, Cameron provides mentorship and development opportunities for junior cadets. In fall 2023, she organized a first-of-its-kind leadership forum between Army ROTC and the College of Business to support continued development for all cadets. Last spring, Cameron facilitated fundraisers such as a cross country ski race to raise funding for the purchase of additional gym equipment and registration costs for fellow cadets to participate in training opportunities such as the Bataan Memorial Death March held at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
The seminar and award are named for General George C. Marshall, US Army chief of staff during WWII and later secretary of state and defense during the Truman administration. Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for developing the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, better known as the Marshall Plan.
“This is a huge honor and a major accomplishment and I couldn’t have done it without the support of College of Business faculty and staff over the last four years,” says Cameron, a native of Petoskey, Michigan, who as a high school senior earned a scholarship for full in-state tuition to Tech.
“This is a huge honor and a major accomplishment and I couldn’t have done it without the support of College of Business faculty and staff over the last four years.”
Over summer 2022, Cameron interned with the US Department of Justice, tasked with mitigating bombings, suspected terror attacks, shootings, and other threats of violence, as well as conducting database checks and open-source research to further national security investigations.
Following graduation, Cameron plans to commission as a second lieutenant in the US Army before eventually transitioning into the Military Intelligence Corps, earning captain rank, and pursuing psychological operations. “I will be able to combine my management degree and training in Army ROTC to become a capable leader, bringing a fresh approach to organizing and guiding my unit,” she adds.
Michigan Tech College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, business analytics, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.