Laurana Bradley aims to be a selfless leader. The University of North Georgia (UNG) cadet, scheduled to graduate in December 2023, said that doesn't always take the form people expect.
"You need to listen and help when people need it the most," Bradley said. "Let them fail and learn. Don't let them be alone."
For the Powder Springs, Georgia, native pursuing a degree in criminal justice with a forensics concentration, her choices of major and military service were natural. One of her grandfathers was a corrections officer who escorted Ted Bundy on death row. Both of her parents and both grandfathers served in the military, and her great-grandfather Wallace Bradley served in the Army during the Korean War.
"It runs in the family," Bradley said. "I need and want to give back to my country, to defend it and lead it. Men and women have fought and sacrificed their lives for this country."
That mentality permeates everything Bradley does. She served as Bravo Company chaplain for 2020-21 and is the company's clerk for 2021-22. Bradley was also a team leader for two semesters.
Leadership in the Corps of Cadets has helped Bradley grow in her ability to take ownership.
"You have to accept responsibility if something goes wrong," Bradley said. "And you can't let that break you as a leader."
Bradley is a recipient of the UNG Military Scholarship, which is worth more than $85,000 over the course of her college career. Each year, 42 Georgia high school seniors receive the scholarship from the state, through which they are members of the Georgia Army National Guard and have most of their school expenses covered.
Chaplain Maj. Jose Rondon at one-station unit training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, which combined her basic training and advanced individual training as a military police soldier, made an impact on her. He helped Bradley learn the importance of serving alongside those she leads, even if her presence isn't required at a given moment.
"You always put your people before you," Bradley said. "You should motivate them, push them, teach them, and sacrifice your time to help them."
She has learned this leadership by example yields results.
"Live by what you teach," Bradley said. "And people will look up to you with more respect."
