Students find tradition and future in Naval ROTC

Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5:30 a.m., Caroline Gallotta and Joshua Malley are up, off, and working out, along with their fellow midshipmen, all members of Carnegie Mellon Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. 

Commonly known as NROTC, it’s the long-respected program that turns students into commissioned naval officers. Since 1987, Carnegie Mellon has hosted the Steel City Naval ROTC, which includes students from CMU, the University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne University.

CMU prides itself on turning out leaders, and students in the NROTC get a double dose of leadership training. On top of their normal course load, cadets must meet naval obligations—comply with physical fitness mandates, attend weekly Naval Laboratories that emphasize professional orientation and military drills, and maintain a 2.5 GPA.

Yet Gallotta and Malley seem unflustered by their rigorous schedules, as they share a deep desire to serve in the military. Both students come from military households.

“My dad was a surface warfare officer in the Navy, and he inspired me to join the Navy,” said Gallotta, a junior in mechanical engineering. Malley’s parents were in the Air Force, and he wanted to be a pilot. He applied and got into the Air Force Academy, but a recruiter and his parents encouraged him to apply for a highly competitive Navy ROTC scholarship.

“I decided that I didn’t want to go to the Air Force Academy after all, and that I’d rather go to Carnegie Mellon for the education here. Then the Navy offered me a full scholarship, and I went with the Navy. I ended up really enjoying myself at CMU,” says Malley, a senior in electrical and computer engineering.

The financial support NROTC students receive helps alleviate the financial burdens of their education. However, in return, the students must serve in the Navy, and Gallotta and Malley have given great thought to the possible career paths available to them.

Through coursework and summer trainings with the Navy, they gain exposure to warfare communities, including aviation, surface warfare, submarines, and Marines. Thoughtfully exploring these areas is important, because when students get closer to graduation, they will inform the Navy which warfare area they want to pursue. While the Navy places officers where they are needed, if possible, there is a leaning to place them in positions that align with their preferences and skills.

During a summer break, Gallotta took part in Career Orientation and Training for Midshipmen (CORTRAMID) at Norfolk, Virginia. “I experienced every warfare specialty in the Navy. When I went on a five-day cruise, I found that submarine was my favorite. I was able to talk to the crew and learn what they do,” she says. 

During the cruise, she gained important knowledge about herself. The Navy screens personnel to identify those who may not be suited for the psychological and physiological issues associated with serving on subs. “Submarines are very cramped, and some people find them claustrophobic, but it doesn’t really bother me,” she says.

Although Gallotta won’t graduate for another year, she is pretty certain that submarines are right for her and that her background in mechanical engineering will be valuable.

“To go on the submarine, I have to learn how to operate a nuclear power plant, so things that I studied will be helpful," she adds.

Malley, who’s a year ahead of Gallotta, prefers to become a surface warfare officer with a nuclear focus. He sees himself starting out on a conventional ship and then eventually attending Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina.

“I’ve questioned if I’m going to use my electrical and computer engineering degree in the military, but if I go to nuclear school, the rigors of my education here, with the math and physics, will be good background. Electrical engineering is very difficult and so is nuclear engineering,” says Malley.

“I like the idea of going to nuclear school. The experience of living in South Carolina and studying something that is unique and top secret, that is alluring to me,” he says.

Malley finds travel enticing, too. “It would be awesome to get stationed in Spain or Japan or some other country besides the U.S., but I’d probably be happy anywhere if I am on my career path. The best ship is your ship, right?”