Alex Cruz ’19
Mechanical Engineering
Laredo, TX
Alex is a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at UTSA. In high school, Alex was strong in calculus and physics, and those fields always interested him, which made majoring in mechanical engineering an easy decision.
ROTC is typically very involved and consists of two physical trainings per week. The program also has an aerospace studies class where cadets learn about the U.S. Air Force and a leadership laboratory where they march or have guest speakers.
Alex’s favorite thing about being in ROTC is the camaraderie.
“You are put into a flight with other cadets, and you have to learn how to work together to get tasks completed. You are taught that you will not get through this program alone,” Alex shared. “The Air Force mission involves working as a team which you will learn through ROTC. When you join ROTC, you’re joining a family.”
After college, this Roadrunner is guaranteed a job and will be commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and will go to flight school for pilot training. By being in this program, he’s learned to work on things ahead of time and to utilize his resources and ask for help. Alex tries to take advantage of everything that he’s given and to lean on others who are better than him so that he can improve.
ROTC offers a lot of great opportunities in college. Students get to join something that makes them feel like they’re part of a family, have job security after graduating, gain the chance to earn scholarships to help with tuition, and become healthy and fit and grow as an individual who isn’t afraid to break out of their comfort zone. Advice that Alex has for Future Roadrunners is, “If you’re interested in any of these things, then I’d recommend giving ROTC a try.”