Cadets Mercedez Fernandez ’23, Company G2; Jacob Lapin ’23, Company E3; and Cora Haefner ’23, Company H4 were selected as the respective Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awardees for their MX400 Pershing Essays. The essay panel selected the winners out of 978 essays reviewed this academic year based not only on the academic score of the essay, but the depth of reflection displayed in their writing.
Each of these cadets will receive a General John J. Pershing (1886) Writing Award medallion. The Gold awardee, CDT Fernandez, will also have her name added to the plaque that has a running list of all top recipients.
In their First Class year, cadets take the capstone class MX400. The class integrates cadets’ experiences, training, and classes into an interdisciplinary study of Officership and the transition from being a cadet to being a commissioned officer in the Profession of Arms. Within the class, cadets are asked to complete what is known as the Pershing Essay. This year the essay prompt asked cadets to evaluate their current readiness for Officership by describing the challenges of leadership in the 21st century, assessing personal strengths that would empower them to overcome those challenges, and then reflect on areas of individual improvement as a leader and how to improve in those areas.
