Published: February 19, 2020
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Graduating from FHN in 2019, Connor Cronin, now a freshman at Mizzou, pursues his interests in the military by joining the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program on campus.
“I enrolled in [ROTC] because I had wanted to be in the army pretty much my whole life,” Cronin said. “Getting an education out of it and being able to go in as a second lieutenant is pretty high, so I get better pay and more leadership opportunities.”
ROTC is a program for the U.S. Army for college students looking to join the army after finishing college. The program expedites the process of getting promoted in the army. After graduating, members serve for four years.
“I have to do four years of active service, then I’ll probably continue my military career,” Cronin said. “Then after that, I’ll have to decide whether or not to go into business, which is my current major.”
For his participation in ROTC, Cronin must attend physical training three times a week, go to one class a week and go to one lab a week. Other than ROTC, Cronin participates in flag football at Mizzou. While at FHN, Cronin also participated in many physical activities, being a member of the football, baseball and rugby teams.
“The sports weren’t well-loved, but they certainly have their positives,” Cronin said. “They were a good leadership experience and fun.”
One of the biggest influences on him while at FHN was the teachers. Cronin believes they helped prepare him for college. Michael Green, engineering teacher at FHN, was one of his favorites. Cronin had classes with Green all four years.
“He liked to try things on his own, and he had an inventive spirit,” Green said. “He was a good student, and I know he’ll do good.”
Looking forward, Cronin is eager about his time in college and anticipates his service with the army. He reminisces about his time in high school with warm feelings and thankfulness for his teachers and the community at FHN.
“North was a great place to be, it was a good high school,” said Cronin. “[FHN] was pretty diverse, and I got to meet all different types of people.”
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