With an Army ROTC scholarship in hand, Adam Eugene is on his way to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to study chemical engineering and business administration.
“I’m taking ROTC there and, with the scholarship, I have a guaranteed commission in the U.S. Army as an officer,” said the Destrehan High School graduate of his planned military career. “I hope to stay in until I have four stars.”
While pursuing his commission in the Army, he plans to build on his ROTC experice and continue his education.
“I never want to stop learning while in there,” Eugene said of his future time in the military.
Joining the Army became the natural choice for this St. Rose teen. It facilitated his objectives in life.
“The Army is the only branch that specializes its officers in leadership for all circumstances to get a better understanding of how things are supposed to fall in line,” he said. “If I want to aspire to a greater purpose I will have higher aspirations to get there.”
Eugene saw the Army getting him there with its offerings in training and leadership, as well as “how comfortable I was in that environment.” It came as a surprise to him at first, but it was a new experience.
“This is something that came across me when I was in high school,” he said. “There was never a set time, but it was something that grew over me.”
“This is who I am and who I want to be. When I felt that comfortable with it, I had to decide which branch and the path. I wanted to have a plan and actual goal set in mind to be sure I got where I wanted to be.”
His goal played prominently in the many aspects of the military activities he did in high school. Eugene was so dedicated he quit the soccer team because it took too much time from his Corps of Cadets efforts. In high school, he was Cadet Col. Adam Eugene named Corps of Cadets Outstanding Senior in his second semester. He led 110 cadets across a variety of venues, including drill teams, color guards, the drum line, Air Rifle team, Physical Fitness team, the Rocket Club, the Survival Club and the new Drone Club.
“It definitely has been something that has impacted my life because at the end of the day I got what I earned,” Eugene said.
He recently returned from the world robotics competition in St. Louis, Mo., where his team took 75th place.
The robotics team became a logical fit in his career path when he started taking basic electricity and the teacher spoke so highly of the team as a step up in careers with offering hand-on, real-world experience.
“All of those experiences will come into play later on in life and help me achieve what I want to do,” Eugene said.Eugene’s immediate plans are to celebrate a bit, get a summer job and focus on preparing for college.
“The most important thing that a young generation should truly understand is that while we’re in high school, everything is laid in front of you,” he said. “But at some point in time we have to open our eyes and see the reality of the situation that all of this nurturing is going to come to an end and you have to ask yourself if ‘I’m strong enough to stand on my two feet’ and if the answer isn’t ‘Yes’ – you will have to change and no one can make that change for you.”
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