Name: Lucand Camacho
School: University of Guam
Hometown: Guam, USA
Major: Computer Information Systems with a minor in Computer Science & Military Science
What Makes This Cadet Stand Out From Their Peers?
In the University of Guam’s Army ROTC program, Cadet Camacho serves as the Operations Officer, a position where he developed and guided over 20 separate training events for over 100 Cadets in 2019. This included training in land navigation, physical fitness, rifle marksmanship and small unit tactics, as well as a 3-day Field Training Exercise with 100 Cadets from the University of Guam, 20 Cadets visiting from the Philippines and 6 Cadets from the island of Saipan.
In addition to his duties as the Operations Officer, Camacho was also selected to be the captain for UoG’s ranger challenge team, which comprised the university’s most physically fit and talented students. In the summer of 2019, Camacho was selected for an internship at the Army Cyber Institute in West Point, N.Y., where he utilized his computer science education and applied his cyber skills in a project designed to detect and defeat the hacking of civilian software and online applications.
Based on his performance at UoG and in Army ROTC, Camacho was selected to serve as an Active Duty Army Officer upon graduation from UoG in the Spring of 2020, and he will serve as a Cyber Branch Officer.
In The Cadet's Own Words:
As an enlisted Signal soldier in the Guam Army National Guard since 2013, Army ROTC did not start as a goal of mine. From my perspective, I was very subtle and it was difficult for me to make choices that can promote better outputs for a mission. I rarely had the opportunity to recommend solutions due to my position or rank which left me feeling as if I was not contributing to the bigger picture. As much as I wanted to intervene, I stayed reserved and followed orders to the best of my ability. Throughout the years, I realized how officers in the Army are nearly mandated to make these types of decisions and that's when it clicked. Four years later, I signed up for ROTC to place me in this type of decision making environment.
My source of motivation comes from the golden rule that we've all learned since grade school. The principal states to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This basic ethical principle can apply to all branches of the Army, which exemplifies the characteristics of teamwork and leadership. As a leader, my motivation comes from the people I lead, the camaraderie awarded in the hardships and prosperities regardless of victory or defeat.
Awards & Achievements:
-ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate
-Top Cadet 2019, University of Guam
-Ranger Challenge Team Captain
-3.8 GPA
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