Oh, The People You'll Know: Nathan Ruxlow

1/24/2020 Amanda Maher

Written by Amanda Maher

Nathan Ruxlow
Nathan Ruxlow
The rigorous programs of Army ROTC and mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois may seem to have little overlap, but Nathan Ruxlow is balancing both during his time as a college student. 

Army ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) offers a pathway for participants to become commissioned officers in the United States Army. Upon graduation, students may commission as a Second Lieutenant into Active Duty, the Reserves, or the National Guard. The ROTC program focuses on teaching students to become effective leaders. Starting off in a squad, new cadets learn from the upperclassmen in the program and are awarded more responsibilities as they gain experience. 

The ROTC program combines Military Science classes with hands-on leadership labs, where cadets get to apply what they are learning to realistic training events. Leadership labs include conducting tactical missions at the UIUC Arboretum, using problem-solving and communication skills to tackle obstacle courses, learning basic lifesaving medical skills, navigating terrain to find points with only a map and compass, practicing drill and ceremony, and many other basic soldier tasks and leadership-oriented activities. In addition to class and labs, cadets are also expected to attend physical training three mornings a week where they work to improve their strength and endurance.

The ROTC program also offers developmental opportunities during the summer such as CULP (Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency), where cadets travel for three weeks to a foreign country and immerse themselves into the culture. During this time, cadets learn to adapt to a new culture while understanding their own cultural differences. For Nathan, this adventure took place in Argentina last summer, after his junior year. Nathan got to explore the city of Buenos Aires and the Patagonia region in the Andes Mountains. He spent time learning from and building relationships with cadets from the Argentina military academy and trying many of the foods and activities custom to Argentine culture.

Immediately after his time in Argentina, Nathan flew into Fort Knox, Kentucky, for his Cadet Summer Training where all third-year cadets from around the country come together and train for one month. Cadets are expected to complete several standard soldier tasks including range operations, land navigation, ruck marches, physical assessments, and many more, as well as be evaluated on their leadership capabilities in garrison and in the field. 

While maintaining the workload that comes with ROTC, Nathan also wanted to pursue opportunities that allowed him to grow his engineering skills. He attended the career fair his sophomore year and connected with Caterpillar. After interviewing, he was appointed to the Parallel Co-op Program where he was put on an engine component team consisting of full-time engineers. Nathan gets to apply the engineering techniques and principles learned in classes to real-life engineering problems. He is currently involved in a cost reduction and modeling project to redesign casting parts.

Nathan has also been involved in multiple ROTC extracurriculars, ASME, the Formula SAE team, and Greek life at different points during his college career. With all of these responsibilities, Nathan offers a piece of advice: Time management and knowing your own limits are extremely important. He found that at times it was more beneficial to turn down an opportunity so that he could continue to focus on his passions.


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This story was published January 24, 2020.