Pictured from left to right: Cadet
(MSIV) Andrew Holomshek, a senior geological engineering major, Cadet (MSII)
Alexia Hodgson, a sophomore applied biological sciences major, Cadet (MSIV)
Matthew Greenfield, a senior industrial engineering major
RAPID CITY, SD (Feb. 16, 2018) – Three
ROTCcadets from the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology have been selected for the U.S. Army’s prestigious
Cultural Understanding Learning Program (CULP). Students are selected through a competitive application process. Winners spend a month with a foreign nation’s military to build relations while being immersed in another culture.
Those selected this year are:
- Cadet (MSII) Alexia Hodgson, a sophomore applied biological sciences major
- Cadet (MSIV) Andrew Holomshek, a senior geological engineering major
- Cadet (MSIV) Matthew Greenfield, a senior industrial engineering major
Both Holomshek and Greenfield will travel to Peru summer 2018, and Hodgson will travel to Bulgaria. The three cadets will experience up to three different venues during their time abroad. These can include host nation military-to-military exchange, humanitarian service and education on the
social, cultural and historical aspects of the country for which they were chosen.
The most recent SD Mines CULP program participant was Cadet (MSIII) Tristan Walker, who is a junior majoring in geology. He spent a month in Thailand the summer of 2017.
“Rather than receiving the normal Thai experience (partying, vacationing at the beach, and traveling the big cities), I received a sobering tour of what the Thai military and its people find important about their country,” says Walker. “I appreciated their focus on traditions, history, lifestyle and
building an understanding between U.S. and Thai Cadets. My suggestion to those interested in traveling to Thailand, visit the beautiful tourist sites, but travel the country as well to truly understand the nation’s identity.”
Over this past summer, 903 ROTC cadets traveled across the world and participated in Cadet Command's CULP program to 24 countries. The future goal is for at least half of all Cadets to complete a CULP Immersion Internship annually. Immersion into foreign cultures exposes
Cadets to the realities that other countries have vastly different lifestyles, economic standing and world perspective.