From cadet to commander: Katie Lacosta's journey

Photo By Capt. Christopher Booker | U.S. Army ROTC cadet Katie Lacosta, assigned to the Dauntless Battalion, prepares to oversee a field training exercise with fellow ROTC cadets at Fort Indiantown Gap, Nov. 4, 2023. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Christopher Booker)  

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, UNITED STATES

11.04.2023

Story by Capt. Christopher Booker 

109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

ROTC is a college-based officer training program charged with training Commissioned Officers of the United States Army. This leadership program is tasked with training, developing, and commissioning elite second lieutenants in either the Regular Army, Reserve or National Guard in a variety of career fields including combat arms like aviation, armor, artillery, infantry or engineers, combat support and many other support branches. The Dauntless Battalion is comprised of Pennsylvania students from Widener University, West Chester University, and Drexel University.

Katie Lacosta is a student at West Chester University, hailing from Kennett Square Pennsylvania and an ROTC cadet with the Dauntless Battalion. She is an MS4, or senior, in the Dauntless Battalion and has been in the ROTC program since her freshman year in college.

“ROTC has provided me with tremendous amounts of military knowledge in preparation to lead, as a commissioned officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard next year," Lacosta said. "It also has supplied me with life skills, mentorship, patience and strongly improved my decision-making skills overall."

Her experience as cadet has not come without challenge. The senior cadet reports having to utilize mental toughness and resiliency when experiencing constant inclement weather and physically taxing field exercises. The most challenging part for her has come by way of willingly allowing others to lead her, and accepting situations which she has no control over.

Lacosta has not decided which branch she would like to pursue, but she is heavily considering military intelligence and adjutant general as her top two branches. This future leader is also a member of the rugby team at West Chester University. Balancing a heavy ROTC workload which includes physical training, field training and weekly in-person classes while participating as a student athlete has proven challenging, but feasible and Lacosta is excelling in both.

While serving as the Battalion Commander, which is the highest leadership role in her ROTC program, her cadre at ROTC and her rugby coaches work with her schedule to ensure she can perform at a high level in both organizations.

• Date Taken: 11.04.2023
• Date Posted: 11.06.2023 12:16
• Story ID: 457226
• Location: FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US
• Hometown: KENNETT SQUARE, PA, US