Ready for Duty

Twenty-one U.S. Army cadets in Cal State Fullerton’s Reserve Officer Training Corps will be commissioned for duty as second lieutenants Friday, May 20. Once commissioned, most of the soon-to-be new officers will undergo up to a year of officer training, then report to their respective duty stations in the United States or abroad.

The cadets, who also are completing college degrees, their cities of residence and educational institutions are:

Anaheim — Christa Angeles, B.A. psychology, UC Irvine
Bakersfield — Brandon K. Brewer, B.A. political science, Biola University
Buena Park — Steven M. Swaleh, B.A. communication studies, Biola
Encinitas — Derrick Serrano, B.A. art, CSUF
Fullerton — Richard Ha, B.A. political science and anthropology, UCI
Fullerton — Timothy Johnson, B.A. business administration, CSUF, Fullerton
Fullerton — Eugene A. Park, B.A. anthropology, CSUF
Garden Grove — Keira Long, B.S. biochemistry, CSUF
Garden Grove — Regina M. Del Campo, B.S. nursing, CSUF
La Habra Heights — Philip TH. Wang, B.A. business administration, CSUF
Lake Forest — Kenneth Lam, B.A. political science, Chapman University
Lancaster — Matthew Gocke, B.A. political science, Whittier College
La Puente — Nestor Castaneda, B.A. Spanish, CSUF
La Verne — Terek M. Nelson, B.A. political science, CSUF
Long Beach — Zackary Hartley, B.A. cinema and media arts, Biola
Los Angeles — Gustavo Cervantes, B.A. criminal justice, Cal State Los Angeles
Norwalk — Sarah K. Agnola, B.A. linguistics, CSUF
Ontario — Elias G. Busuego, B.S. civil engineering, CSUF
San Pedro — Olivia M. Oh, B.A. criminology, UCI
Santa Ana — Alejandra Alvarado, M.A. history, CSUF, Santa Ana
Whittier — Vince R. Sanchez, B.A. sociology, CSUF

The Cal State Fullerton ROTC program welcomes cadets from other universities and colleges as well as from CSUF.

Top Cadet

Alejandra Alvarado will graduate as the Titan Battalion’s outstanding cadet and receive the top cadet honor, the George C. Marshall Award, for demonstrating leadership through outstanding performance in academics, military skills, extracurricular activities and physical fitness. She also will receive the Distinguished Military Graduate Award for displaying outstanding qualities of leadership, high moral character, noteworthy academic achievement and exceptional aptitude for military service.

Already a combat veteran, Alvarado said being named the university’s No. 1 cadet is “overwhelming.”

Going through the ROTC program, she said, her goal “was not to be the best, but to do my best and work hard, make my family and friends proud.”

Enlisting in the military was one way Alvarado said she could repay her country for all the opportunities it has provided for her family, specifically her parents, who both emigrated from Mexico.

The 29-year-old joined the Army after graduating from Valley High School in Santa Ana in 2000. She was deployed twice — first for Operation Enduring Freedom in Qatar in 2001 and, two years later, as part of the initial ground attack in Iraq.

“You don’t have to be male to be in the military,” Alvarado said. “Anyone can succeed in this country if they work hard.”

“Cadet Ale Alvarado became the No. 1 cadet in the Titan Battalion due to her dedication, leadership, and selfless service,” said Capt. Jocelyn Simmons. “She is about to embark upon a journey in joining the Army Officer Corps, an elite group of leaders of this great country. I am very proud of her, and I wish her nothing but success and happiness.”

Upon graduation, Alvarado will work for the Titan Battalion on campus for four months as a recruiter before she begins her officer training in the fall.


Keynote Address

Caption: Maj. Gen. Paul E. Mock

The ceremony’s keynote address will be delivered by the retired Maj. Gen. Paul E. Mock, who received his commission in 1972 through the ROTC at Claremont Men’s College.

In 1996, Mock was mobilized for Operation Joint Endeavor, serving in Croatia to support operations in Bosnia. In 2002, he assumed command of the 311th Support Command. Two years later, he was mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom as commanding general, 377th Theater Support Command, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where he commanded more than 20,000 personnel. From 2005 until he retired in 2008, he was commander of the 63rd Regional Readiness Command in Los Alamitos.

Mock also is a retired Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant and worked for the LAPD for 25 years.

Ceremony Logistics

The commissioning ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on the lawn west of the Engineering Building and is open to the public.

Media Contact:
Mimi Ko Cruz, Public Affairs, 657-278-7586 or mkocruz@fullerton.edu