Fort Lee Woman Commissioned as Second Lieutenant at Seton Hall ROTC Ceremony

A Fort Lee woman was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army through Seton Hall University’s ROTC program, a school spokesperson said.

Angela Kim, who was cross enrolled at Farleigh Dickinson University, was among 10 ROTC members to be commissioned at a ceremony on May 25, at which one of the speakers was U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Jane Holl Lute, according to Seton Hall.

“The 10 comissionees waited excitedly to give their first salute, distinguishing their newly earned rank as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army,” according to a statement from the school.

After the ceremony, Kim said in an interview of her ROTC experience, “I had a really good time; I learned a lot.”

Asked if there was one highlight she would always remember about the program, Kim said it had to be the Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC), which she said was something she feared initially because of the potential to fail.

“But you actually overcome it, and you actually have a great time with your fears,” Kim said. “And whatever you learn, you put it out there, so that’s what I did. That I can never forget.”

She added, “It was a good training.”

Kim said that balancing college life and ROTC was certainly a challenge, but she also said she had somewhat of an advantage.

“I definitely put a lot of time into ROTC, but luckily I majored in Art and minored in Criminal Justice so I had more time to focus than anybody else because I know there are majors that are more demanding,” she said. “So I think I was actually fortunate in that area, but I definitely put in a lot of ROTC time.”

She said commuting to Seton Hall was difficult, but that “everything else was great.”

“I love it here,” she said. “I don’t want to go, actually.”

During the commissioning ceremony Lute talked about her own ROTC experiences 36 years ago in the same Seton Hall ROTC program, according to a Seton Hall University spokesperson.

Lute told the new second lieutenants that during her career, she commanded a company, taught at West Point and served under two Presidents, but that it all started when she saw an ROTC flyer at Montclair State, drove to Seton Hall and cross-enrolled in the ROTC program.

“Leadership is not about authority; leadership is about taking responsibility,” Lute said. “It’s about taking that responsibility and making it your own.”

Also speaking at the ceremony was Brigadier General Jonathon A. Maddux, who said, “Take assurance knowing that our army is in good hands,” according to Seton Hall.

Next up for Kim is serving as a cadre at a Leader's Training Course (LTC) over the next few months.

“I’m actually going there to train people,” she said.

That will be followed by four months of training in military intelligence.

“After that I’m going to Fort Campbell, Kentucky,” Kim said. “That’s my duty station.”