About 240 FROGS set to begin cadet life

Roughly 240 young men and women were part of the latest Freshmen Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week class at the University of North Georgia (UNG) Aug. 2-8. Grace McGill, brigade commander of the UNG Corps of Cadets, led their week-long experience. They brought total Corps of Cadets enrollment to 750.

McGill, a senior, took the helm at the end of the spring 2026 semester. Aside from her leadership duties in the Corps, McGill is pursuing a degree in cybersecurity and captains the UNG women’s soccer team. She credits her time management and prioritization skills for being able to manage it all.

"I communicate with both the military leadership and my coaches," McGill said. "They are willing to see me succeed in the other. From there, it's all my time management. There's a lot of balance."

As McGill and her cadet cadre staff prepared for FROG Week, McGill remembered her values for the week.

"I want FROG Week to reinforce discipline, accountability, humility, and teamwork. These values define the Corps at its best, and they are the foundation for developing cadets who can be trusted with responsibility and great future leaders for the U.S. Army," she said. 

The Senoia, Georgia, resident remembers her FROG Week as the hardest thing she had ever done. But since then, she has done harder things, including Airborne School and Air Assault School.

"My leadership during FROG Week was shaped by the moments when I struggled, learned hard lessons and grew because cadre held me to a high standard. I want FROGs to experience challenge, but also mentorship as it was that balance that shaped me into a stronger cadet and leader," she said.

She also encourages new FROGs to lean on one another.

"Stick with it, lean in on your FROG buddies. Help them get through. They're going to help you get through. Once you complete FROG Week, become acclimated to the Corps, you can really start to branch out still be a civilian, too," she said. "You've got academics and you've got clubs. There are tons of places where you can fit in. That's a good way to make extra friends."

FROG buddies can be lifelong friends, too.

"FROG Buddies truly make the FROG Week experience. Whether a new cadet enjoys FROG Week and often the Corps as a whole, depends largely on the relationships they build during that time. FROG Buddies need to build those connections with their peers by investing time in getting to know the new cadets, asking questions, offering encouragement, and making them feel unified," cadet Dayton Hurst said. "Those relationships often become the foundation of a cadet's support system throughout their time at UNG."

Hurst is a senior from Thomasville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in management with a concentration in logistics and supply chain management. His responsibilities as brigade executive officer during FROG Week were to oversee and synchronize the brigade staff to ensure operations ran smoothly behind the scenes. This, he said, included coordinating personnel, operations, logistics, communications, and administrative support so cadre could focus on mentoring and developing the incoming freshman class.

"My goal was to ensure every part of FROG Week was organized and executed efficiently, creating an environment where new cadets could have a positive and successful introduction to the Corps of Cadets," Hurst said.

McGill said it's mainly the responsibility of her executive officer and staff to create the schedule and logistics of the week and she, in turn, took them to the commandant staff for approval. Then it was up to McGill and her staff to implement the plan and ensure that it was executed properly.

Cadet Nate Rea, a senior from Milton, Georgia, handled the operations of the week.

"I focused on coordinating planning efforts across the brigade, ensuring information was communicated effectively, and synchronizing the many moving parts that made FROG Week possible," he said. "Seeing leaders at every level work together toward a common goal has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the process."

Rea is pursuing a degree in marketing.

"FROG Week is successful because it is a true team effort. Every cadre member, staff section and specialty unit plays a vital role, and everyone is committed to working together to provide incoming cadets with the best possible experience. Throughout the planning process, we emphasized collaboration, communication and shared responsibility to ensure every aspect of the week was synchronized," he said. "By keeping everyone informed and engaged, we've built a team that understands the importance of their role in creating a positive, organized and welcoming introduction to the Corps of Cadets for our newest members."