CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Dec. 2, 2015) -- Junior service members can always benefit from mentoring from their senior leaders, but recently 12 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets were given the opportunity to spend some time with one of their most senior leaders, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
Carter had lunch with the group composed of Army and Air Force Cadets as well as Navy Midshipmen during his recent two-day visit to Boston for various speaking engagements.
During the closed luncheon, Cadets were able to discuss various topics with the Secretary. Those in attendance said they could appreciate the Secretary's candidness and approachability.
"I was surprised at how openly and directly Secretary Carter answered questions. He answered each question we asked as candidly as he could," said Army Cadet Anna Page, a history major from Wellesley College. "Seeing his trust in the Cadets around the table was reassuring and refreshing."
"The most memorable aspect of the experience for me was engaging in conversation with the SECDEF and being able to see that he is very personable," said Army Cadet Garrett Ewanouski, a history major from Tufts University. "Talking with such a powerful and influential figure in person reinforced the importance of the 'human element' of leadership."
Ewanouski said there were benefits to meeting with such a senior leader that all junior leaders could benefit from.
"I would recommend that younger Cadets seek out opportunities to see senior leaders because it is a great opportunity to converse with upper echelon leadership about topics that might directly impact them,' he said. "In addition, speaking in such a formal environment is a good opportunity to develop public speaking skills."
According to Army ROTC Cadet Alyssa Pybus, a biological engineering major from MIT, meeting with senior leaders can only benefit those who are willing to learn from them.
"It's easy to get stuck in ROTC-land, and so we forget to remember that there's a much bigger picture of the role of our military in the global scheme of things. Meeting senior leaders and hearing about the things that matter to them puts you in the position to think about that bigger picture," she said. "At the end of the day, our commander's intent, a lot of levels up, focuses on addressing the issues that senior leaders are paid to think about and resolve. Hearing and/or meeting a senior leader gives you the opportunity to better understand the bigger picture and their intent, which motivates the role you will play as a leader in the Army."
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