Connor Joyce has a job lined up for after graduation, one that involves international travel, solving global problems, and team management—skills he says he learned during his time at Johns Hopkins.
But he won’t be joining a startup, a hedge fund, or a nonprofit like many of his peers. After receiving his diploma in mechanical engineering Thursday, Joyce will become a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
“I grew up in Annapolis right across the river from the Naval Academy, so I always knew I wanted to go into service,” Joyce says. “ROTC—especially at Johns Hopkins—seemed like a good fit for me and the college education I wanted.”
Joyce has served in the Johns Hopkins ROTC program since his freshman year. He will be commissioned to the U.S. Army during a ceremony Wednesday morning at the Johns Hopkins Bunting Meyerhoff Chapel Community Center. He is one of 13 ROTC cadets to be commissioned into active duty this spring.
“In each graduating class, I see the hallmarks of truly great leaders,” says Lt. Col. Michael Gorreck, a professor of military science at Johns Hopkins and leader of the Blue Jay Battalion, which is made up of students from Hopkins and other local universities. “As they strive to do better, to learn more, and to take on greater challenges, they inspire the cadres of cadets who follow. I’m extremely proud of our graduates.”