Already enrolled in the military, senior Winter Rose knows how she wishes to spend her future. She spent her junior year at the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in order to prepare herself for her future career. At NMMI students undergo “RAT week,” which is a three week period of constant physical training and drill.

“The days were absolutely miserable at the time,” Rose said. “But looking back on it now, those three weeks had such an amazing influence in my life in the sense that they forced me to mature in order for me to be able to comprehend the concepts of duty, honor and achievement.”

Almost like a miniature boot camp, RAT week gave Rose the opportunity to experience her possible future.

“Before I made a commitment to the military, I wanted to experience it firsthand,” Rose said. “That kind of career path shouldn’t be taken lightly by any means.”

After spending a year at NMMI, Rose went back to public school and later began Allen’s JROTC program.

“Military school differs from the JROTC program in the sense that you are surrounded by your fellow cadets 24/7,” Rose said. “You do everything together: eat, sleep, drill, PT, study. You quickly become passionate about it as you go through each hard day surrounded by people that know you better than you know yourself.”

While at NMMI students follow a rigorous schedule: wake up for breakfast formation and uniform inspection at 6:15, attend school until 2:30, go to corps physical training, dinner, have mandatory study hall and then have only 30 minutes until lights out.

“Breakfast formation and uniform inspection was one of my favorite things to do,” Rose said, “because though it was long and uniform inspection was tedious, we got to watch the sun rise.”

Rose enlisted with the Army Reserves last year. This August she will leave for five months of AIT, or Advanced Individual Training, as a chemical biological radiological weapons specialist.

“I’m excited,” Rose said. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do with my life.”