This summer, Ben Horvath will be the only cadet from Kent State’s ROTC to attend Cadet Troop Leader Training in Hawaii.

“[He] will basically join an active duty platoon, which is basically 30 to 40 guys,” said 2nd Lt. Zachary Macek, senior political science major.

Horvath is a junior cadet at the University of Mount Union and is one of many students that travel from there to Kent State for training. Beginning in Fall 2012, Youngstown State University cadets will do the same.

“Kent State has enough cadets to make your life as a leader realistic,” Horvath said. “The biggest thing is just experience in front of a lot of people.”

Horvath is a senior criminal justice major and one of few who have received the four-year ROTC scholarship. He said he chose to join the military because he comes from a military family. His high GPA in high school made him eligible to receive a full scholarship for four years. The scholarship also gives him $500 per semester for books as well a monthly stipend.

While in Hawaii, Horvath will shadow a second lieutenant, which is what he said he hopes to be commissioned as next year if everything goes well this summer. All of the cadets on the east coast in the 7th Brigade were ranked based upon their GPAs, physical training, school involvement and other factors to determine if they would be eligible for CTLT. Once deemed eligible, they were given the option to sign up for the training in class and were given a list of locations that offer the training to choose from.

“I obviously chose Hawaii,” Horvath said.

He said his parents actually met on the island where he’ll be staying.

Horvath will return from Hawaii on August 26, just in time for fall semester. He said he hopes to be a military intelligence, active-duty army officer once he is commissioned next year.

Contact Tyra Byrd at [email protected].