ROTC student marshal ready to engineer military tech, systems
April 23, 2019
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Christian Alexander Stout, a Penn State mechanical engineering undergraduate student, will be the student marshal for the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the Penn State College of Engineering spring commencement ceremony on May 3. He will be escorted by Captain R. Scott Young.
Hailing from Imperial, Pennsylvania, Stout received several honors for his academic excellence, including the President’s Freshman Award, the Evan Pugh Scholar Award, and the 2019 Vice President’s Award.
Being both a mechanical engineering student and an ROTC member preparing for his military service was a challenging, but rewarding, experience for Stout. Taking an additional 24 credits in the ROTC curriculum and completing training outside of class, balancing his workload required dedication and discipline. However, he said, “It turned out to be the right decision and I would not have done it any other way.”
“In mechanical engineering, everyone is there to help. Fellow students want you to succeed just as much as they want to succeed themselves. Professors are always willing to assist students with homework, labs, projects, etc.,” he said. “It is no different in ROTC. My fellow midshipmen want to see all of their classmates succeed, and our advising staff is there to help us reach our goals of becoming commissioned officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.”
Looking to many mentors he found within his family and teachers, Stout was inspired to pursue mechanical engineering as a path to serve his country. He explained, “Engineers play a huge role in the armed forces. Engineers are the ones that are researching and developing the newest technologies that give our military the advantage against anyone in the world. Engineers develop state-of-the-art platforms and weapon systems that military men and women ultimately trust their lives with. And with those platforms and weapon systems that are developed by engineers, the military can protect the people at home to ensure that they can live a free life.”
After graduation, Stout will be attending naval flight school in Pensacola, Florida. Reflecting on his experience, he encourages students to keep working hard. He said, “Never give up because in the end, all of the hard work, sleepless nights, and seemingly impossible assignments will pay off. Although both mechanical engineering and ROTC are very difficult, stick with it because I can promise you it will all work out in the end.”
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Erin Cassidy Hendrick
emc5045@psu.edu
