NROTC University of Idaho/WSU

Fall 2024 Commissioning Ceremony

On December 6th, six members of our battalion became United States Navy and Marine Corps officers!

Congratulations to Ensign Clayson Bonds, Ensign Amy Hernandez, Ensign Emily Hernandez, Ensign Thomas Hein, Ensign Jo Rodzinka, and 2nd LT Devin Auger.

Thank you to CDR Brad Little for being our guest speaker.

⚓️Senior Spotlight⚓️

GySgt Devin Auger is from Great Falls, MT, and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Washington State University this fall.
Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and attend TBS in Quantico, VA.
GySgt Auger enjoys fishing, hunting, working out, reading, and coaching youth sports.
Prior to enlistment, he accomplished OSCAR (Operational Stress Control and Readiness Training) and UMAPIT (Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training). He is certified in Aviation QA and Black Belt MAI. Throughout his time in NROTC and college, he maintained a 3.25 GPA and coached youth T-ball and soccer.
His favorite memory while in NROTC is the annual North West Navy games.

⚓️Senior Spotlight⚓️

MIDN Jo Rodzinka is from Dayton, OH, and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho this fall.
Upon graduation, she will be commissioned as an Ensign and attend Nuclear Power School to join the Submarine community.
While in NROTC, she received the Rising Star Award and USAA National Award and is our fall 2024 Battalion Commander.
MIDN Rodzinka enjoys backpacking, whitewater rafting, camping, weight lifting, running, and swimming. She is also a member of the water polo club, where she was president from 2022-2023 and coaches the Moscow Chinooks Masters Swim Team.
Her favorite memory while in NROTC was helping Semper Fi with their FEX by dressing up as OPFOR, climbing around Paradise Ridge, and devising formidable attacks against the Marine options.

MIDN Thomas Hein is from Washougal, WA, and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University this fall.
Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as a Student Naval Aviator and attend flight school.
MIDN Hein enjoys working on old trucks, sewing, cooking, and traveling. His favorite memory while in NROTC was on his first cruise in the Summer of 2023, when he got the chance to fly an MH-60R off the coast of San Diego.
As a fourth-generation Coug and a fourth-generation servicemember, MIDN Hein is proud to carry on traditions. Go Cougs, and Go Navy!

⚓️Senior Spotlight⚓️
MIDN 1/C Emily Hernandez, from Las Vegas, Nevada, will be commissioning this December. Some of her hobbies include birdwatching. She served as a College of Science Ambassador at the University of Idaho. She worked as an undergraduate researcher with Dr. Luckhart, where she was awarded the IHHE-USDA Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) internship, receiving $7,000 in support for her research project. Her project focused on the effects of biogenic amines on the thermotolerance of Anopheles stephensi. Additionally, she conducted research for the Department of Energy at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she created a public chemical data repository, and she performed molecular dynamics simulations using computational chemistry on potential acetylcholinesterase reactivator compounds within lipid bilayers and the blood-brain barrier for chemical warfare countermeasures.
In addition, MIDN Hernandez was also awarded an Internship with the Naval Medical Research Center (Office of Naval Research). Some of her favorite NROTC memories include visiting the Cleanroom at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California, and her 1/C Summer Cruise, during which she attended a Foreign Exchange Cruise with the Republic of Korea Navy onboard ROKS Hyang Ro B**g (LST-1). This experience allowed her to engage in a professional, cultural, and social exchange with foreign navies.
Upon commissioning as a Surface Warfare Officer, she will attend the Basic Division Officer Course and then report to DDG 76 HIGGINS, based in Yokosuka, Japan.

⚓️Senior Spotlight⚓️
MIDN Clayson Bonds is from Nampa, ID, and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Natural Resources Conservation and Management this fall.
He will be commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer and attend the Basic Division Officer Course upon graduation, and afterward, he will report to the USS Somerset in San Diego.
MIDN Bonds enjoys running, lifting, and competitive shooting in his free time. He also enjoys hiking with his dog Amari, as highlighted. His favorite memory while in NROTC was participating in the hikes and FEX with marine options and beating the Army in the football games.

⚓️Senior Spotlight⚓️
MIDN 1/C Amy Hernandez is from Las Vegas, NV and will be commissioning this December with a degree in Biology and Medical Science.
Her achievements include working for the Department of Energy with Lawrance Livermore National Laboratory where she helped create chemical structure activity relationship
(SAR) repositories from patents and performed molecular dynamics simulations on potential anti-cancer compounds associated with KRAS. She was also awarded an Internship Program with the Navy Medical Research Center (Office of Naval Research) to work on short-read sequencing using the Illumina platform and R&D on molecular methods improve sequencing library preparation by using a double strand specific nuclease.
During her time here at the University of Idaho she got the opportunity to become a College of Science Ambassador and work as an undergraduate researcher with Dr. Luckhart where she analyzed the effects of histamine and serotonin on circadian activity patterns of female Anopheles Stephensi over lifespan and investigated the effects of blocking histamine and serotonin signaling on the survival and malaria parasite infection of An. Stephensi and monitored mosquito survival rates.
Her favorite Navy memories are her 2/C and 1/C summer cruises. For her 2/C summer cruise she got the opportunity to go onboard DDG-121 Frank E. Petersen Jr. out of Pearl Harbor, HI and for her 1/C summer cruise she got to travel to South Korea, where she spent part of her summer alongside the Republic of Korea Naval Academy Midshipmen onboard the ROKS Hyang Ro B**g (LST-1).
She will commission as a Surface Warfare Officer and attend Basic Division Officer Course upon graduation, and afterwards she will report to her first ship DDG-83 HOWARD out of Yokosuka, Japan.

On 01 Nov, the Semper Fi platoon conducted a
9-mile hike to Paradise Ridge. At Paradise Ridge, they conducted field exercises, where they were met with Navy Options acting as the opposing forces. This event further prepares our Marine Options for when they attend Officer Candidate School!

Congratulations to MIDN 3/C Hernandez for achieving Battalion Member of the Month during the month of September! While excelling in his duties as S-3A, his dedication to the unit sets an example for his fellow Midshipmen to follow.

Today, our Semper Fi Platoon embarked on a 6-mile hike through campus and up Old Pullman Road. They successfully completed the invigorating task, further preparing them for their upcoming 9-mile hike.