Officers grew thanks to opportunities at UNG

2nd Lt. Brandon Clark-Davidson and 2nd Lt. Jaden Clark-Davidson got a head-start on their University of North Georgia (UNG) experience, and they have been setting high standards for others to match ever since then.

They were two of the 20 summer graduates who commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army and Georgia Army National Guard Sept. 10 on the Gen. William "Lipp" Livsey Drill Field. They married partway through their time at UNG.

They took part in UNG's Summer Language Institute in 2021 before enrolling as cadets in fall 2021. They each went on to earn a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity and a minor in Chinese Language Flagship and spent more than a year studying abroad in Taiwan, including 2025-26 as their Flagship capstone. Both Clark-Davidsons were members of UNG's Cyber Leader Development Program. Jaden Clark-Davidson, who was from Hiram, Georgia, served as president of the UNG chapter of Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

"During my time at UNG, I learned how to embrace challenges rather than avoid them. It was difficult to study every night until midnight. It was hard to wake up just a few hours later for physical training. It was especially challenging watching my friends have a good time while I toiled away at my responsibilities," said Brandon Clark-Davidson, who was from Dallas, Georgia. "However, it was through these difficulties that I learned the value of hard work — I would not have accomplished half of what I did during my college career had I not embraced them."

Jaden Clark-Davidson served as brigade mentor and brigade operations officer (S-3) in her final years at UNG, learning leadership through practical application.

"These roles constantly put me outside of my comfort zone, whether it was learning what effective mentorship was and facilitating it with 80-plus mentor-mentee pairs, or my team and I briefing an extensive concept of operations for Boar's Head Weekend to the Cadet Leadership Academy," Jaden Clark-Davidson said. "Every week I grew as a leader."

She said her time abroad, thanks to both the Cadet Leadership Academy and Chinese Flagship program, allowed her to gain valuable international experience and general professional proficiency in Chinese.

Both were part of UNG's Ranger Challenge specialty unit, the varsity sport of Army ROTC. Jaden Clark-Davidson said the experience taught her about "teamwork under duress" and warrior skills.

While strong programs clearly impacted them, the people of UNG made an even more indelible impact.

"I credit the generosity of alumni and the enthusiastic support from faculty and staff across the university as key to my success. That's why I do my best to pay their kindness forward to others in my day-to-day interactions," Jaden Clark-Davidson said.

Brandon Clark-Davidson encouraged his fellow cadets and those who come to UNG in the future to chase lofty ambitions in the Corps of Cadets.

"Set goals and do everything in your power to reach them. None of this is to say, however, that you cannot have fun or that college is just full of difficulties," he said. "Go out and have your fun — just make sure that you're not sacrificing your future for it. In four years, when you're ready to commission, you'll be glad you took college seriously."

Jaden Clark-Davidson, who was also part of the Honors Program, hopes others will embrace the possibilities they have at UNG.

"Keep an open mind during this journey. Go out for things that are out-of-your-norm. Seek and take advantage of the many opportunities around you," she said. "Pre-FROG-Week Jaden could not have imagined all of the experiences and roles that she would eventually take on. But now, looking back on this chapter of my life, I only have a few regrets and many more 'I can't believe I got to do that' moments."