Marquis Alexander has become the first black military commander for the Texas A&M University Corps of cadets. The college station corps has over 2,200 members. Alexander is further ahead than the other cadets because he is an active Marine Corps reservist. For the first time since World War II, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Cadet Corps commander has actual military experience.
When the commander first applied to Texas A&M, he didn’t receive his acceptance letter in the typical response time. He had given up and joined the Marine Corps, in hopes he would realize his dreams without the school. Shortly after, he got the news that he was accepted to the program. He served out two years with the Marine boot camp before going to Texas A&M. Alexander is now commanding before sunrise, and giving his all until sunset.
Alexander had envisioned himself at Texas A&M for several years before applying, He joined the Texas A&M’s Junior Cadet Accessions Program while still in high school. The youngest of nine siblings, Alexander chose a school that has a 4 percent black population among its 40,000 students. He comes from an inner-city Houston neighborhood that does not carry a high number of role models for kids and teens. Alexander hopes to be a beacon of change for his peers.
The 23 year-old serves as a spokesperson for the cadets. He will soon be entering his senior year. Alexander aspires to be a military lawyer or work in the intelligence sector of the U.S. military.
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Monday, November 12th 2012 at 7:02PM
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