Twelve UNG cadets traveled abroad this summer for professional development opportunities. Pictured left to right are Cody Green, Andrew Flournoy, Garrett Cochran, and Hailey Thomas.
Article By: Agnes Hina
University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets traveled abroad this summer for a wide range of professional development opportunities and events, including visits to international military academy partners and leadership courses.
"We want to provide relevant international programs that provide our cadets insight into our allies' and partners’ national security and military affairs," Wes Pirkle, the director of Global Military Programs said. "We also have generous donors that enable us to provide these programs at a low cost to our cadets."
Cadets who gained experience abroad this summer included:
Rainbow, a senior from Kennesaw, Georgia, pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies, traveled to Latvia on June 6 for eight weeks to participate in his internship. Having never learned any Latvian, some of his favorite memories abroad are a result of studying the language.
"Toward the end of the course we were cleaning and by that point, I only knew a few words," Rainbow said. "One of the Latvian cadets asked how many [of an item] do we need and I was able to communicate '2' in Latvian."
Thomas, a sophomore, also pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies, attended the Sachkhere Mountain Training School. Thomas shared she was able to participate in the hospitality culture of Georgians with supra, which translates to tablecloth and is essentially a big feast.The most fascinating thing for me was sitting through the meetings at the embassy. After graduation, I'll be commissioning. I'm hoping for infantry or intelligence. I ultimately hope to work in international relations similar to my experience abroad.
Hailey THomas
UNG cadet
Two of her favorite memories were seeing the Caucasus Mountains and rappelling off a cliff. She shared that this experience helped her clarify her future aspirations.
"The most fascinating thing for me was sitting through the meetings at the embassy," Thomas said. "After graduation, I'll be commissioning. I'm hoping for infantry or intelligence. I ultimately hope to work in international relations similar to my experience abroad."
