Cadets begin leadership journey with FROG Week
Article By: Clark Leonard
This semester's Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week, held Jan. 4-8, welcomed 31 new members to the Corps of Cadets by exposing them to physical challenges and learning activities to begin their leadership journey at the University of North Georgia (UNG).
About 80% of the new cadets are enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard or Army Reserve and started their time at UNG after experiencing basic training and advanced individual training in the fall. Some of the freshmen had other elements that made their journey to UNG different from most of their classmates.
FROG Week helps cadets transition to the military lifestyle through a variety of team-building activities.
Cadet Lt. Col. Callie Regal, a senior battalion commander from Dalton, Georgia, who is pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies, can always think back to her first FROG Week as she helps welcome new cadets to the corps each semester.
"When I came into the corps, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. For me, it was a trial run to try something different," Regal said. "It really taught me a lot about my leadership style and gave me the opportunity to grow around a bunch of people who inspire me. It's helped set me up for my future."
I only have one life. The military pathway is the fast track to becoming a well-rounded human being. This will help me become the best version of myself.
Feranmi Odubanjo
UNG freshman cadet
For Feranmi Odubanjo, a Lagos, Nigeria, resident, who is pursuing a degree in communications with a concentration in organizational leadership, the corps provides him a four-year leadership laboratory and allows him to grow his skills in the U.S., where he was born.
"I only have one life. The military pathway is the fast track to becoming a well-rounded human being," Odubanjo said. "This will help me become the best version of myself."
Cadet leaders plan and execute all corps events, including FROG Week, with the oversight of the commandant staff. UNG is one of six senior military colleges in the nation and commissions more than 100 officers into the Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve each year. Seeing cadets who were FROGs in the recent past lead the event this year impressed Odubanjo.
"It's concrete proof that this school works," Odubanjo said. "They're leading right in front of my eyes."
Cadet Lt. Col. Ethan Lastinger, a senior from Clarkesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies, serves as brigade operations officer. He said the cadet leadership aimed to emphasize discipline and accountability while making sure everyone was taken care of during FROG Week.
"It's mission first, people always," Lastinger said. "We give them opportunities to be able to lead and to learn."
Grads well-prepared for what comes next
UNG students are earning nearly 1,700 degrees and certificates in spring 2025, and more than half of them will take part in commencement ceremonies May 14-15.