By Aidan Maddox, Purdue University

If there is one word, I would use to describe the Defense Civilian Training Corps, it is opportunity. Over the past week alone, I have had the opportunity to talk with two generals, learn about the history of our nation’s air power, and present to some of our nation’s leading experts in space policy. On Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to talk with Brigadier General Panzenhagen of the United States Space Force in my DCTC 301 class. It was truly eye-opening to hear from her…

By Brooke Griswold, Virginia Tech

Attending the Virginia Military Institute Leadership and Ethics Conference was such a memorable experience. Thanks to the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC), I got the chance to hear from inspiring leaders and dig into real-world challenges facing today’s workforce. One of the biggest highlights of the conference was listening to Medal of Honor…

By John Barden, Purdue University

On Friday, October 18th, Purdue Defense Civilian Training Corps scholars engaged in the immersive exploration of military acquisition processes and operational capabilities at Grissom Air Force Base. Grissom provided a comprehensive environment to observe and analyze various aspects of base operations, including real-time simulations and advanced refueling…

By Karen Thornton, AIRC Fellow

The Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) is one 13 DCTC Strategic Partners. This summer, the DEVCOM Ground Combat Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) is hosting DCTC Scholars for an 8-week project-based internship, which serves as a pathway to employment as a DoD civilian. GVSC’s mission is to accelerate delivery and sustainment…

By Faith Jones, Virginia Tech

My DCTC summer internship at Program Executive Office – Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO-IEWS) has been such an incredible opportunity. It is hard to believe, but we are nearly halfway through the summer. These past four weeks have been very informative and have assisted in my personal growth and learning. Our project for the summer relates…

By Aubrey Devries, Purdue University

The Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) has adopted a hands-on approach to learning by offering its scholars opportunities to travel across the United States and apply our classroom knowledge in real-world settings. This summer, two Purdue scholars and I went on a week-long trip to Washington, D.C., to contextualize our in-class lessons. As someone who excels in application-based learning, the trip to D.C. allowed me to piece together…

By Karen Thornton, AIRC Fellow

The DCTC Culture of Care is rooted in the Historically Black College & University (HBCU) tradition of mentoring that emphasizes development of leadership, empowerment, and a sense of community. These values align with the Department of Defense’s commitment to take care of its people and its recruitment strategy to develop talent and foster diversity and innovation. Over the past year, the DCTC faculty have fostered a Culture of Care within their classrooms…

By Jay Thomas, Brooke Griswold and Nicholas McDermott, Virginia Tech

On Friday, April 12, our DCTC cohort participated in an immersive learning event (ILE) presented by AI Futures, a partner to the Chief Digital & AI Office and the Defense Civilian Training Corps. We came into the classroom unsure about what to expect. It was gratifying to put into practice all the concepts that we have been reading about and learning about in class. It felt as if we were a real acquisition team and going through the entire process from start to finish to acquire a new system…

By Akira Jones, University of Arizona

Back in January, I volunteered to help plan the University of Arizona’s DCTC Ideathon immersive learning experience. The goal of this event was to help improve our teamwork and problem-solving skills. During the first two planning meetings, we focused on what we wanted our event to look like, and I spent a couple days to myself trying to picture the perfect event. I wanted the event to be very meaningful for our cohort, so I reflected back to the fall semester…

By Sophie Glancy, University of Arizona

A weekend filled with innovation, collaboration, and education only begins to describe the University of Arizona’s DCTC Ideathon immersion event. Over just two days, DCTC scholars were propelled by design thinking, “The Lean Launchpad” method, and multidisciplinary collaboration into creating successful and innovative solutions to real DoD problems. The event itself required thoughtful engagement and planning from DCTC students…

By Owen Gee, University of Arizona

I really did not know how my weekend would go when I saw the dates come up for the Ideathon immersive learning event. As soon as I walked into the University of Arizona Refinery (a building designed for collaboration between industry, academia, and government) I was greeted by Gordon Bradley, a test/action officer who shared a problem his Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) team is experiencing – the huge volume of data in his…

By Dalia Castro, University of Arizona

When I first started college, I was very lost and scared. I didn’t know what my future would look like, and the thought of it terrified me. I was becoming an adult so quickly that I couldn’t process it. I first went into DCTC with a closed mind about my future in the government. My mindset going in was, “I will try and see how it goes.” However, throughout the semester I was slowly starting to see a possible future in the Department of Defense, hearing from…

By Armand Destin, Purdue University

Community and flexibility were the underlying themes I experienced at the inaugural Nexus conference, co-sponsored by the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) and Defense Acquisition University (DAU). The conference centered around advancements in contract management across government and industry. After attending panel sessions, exhibitions, and casual networking I was able to see the “hype” for an environment…

By Katlind Nearing, University of Arizona

This February, my peer scholars and I participated in an AR/VR tour of the Fort Huachuca Technology Innovation Facility, or as they call it, “the SHOP.” The site visit was arranged by our Defense Civilian Training Corps faculty to give us a hands-on opportunity to learn about DoD efforts to embrace innovation. The first thing I noticed as we drove up to the site was that, much like all of Arizona, nothing but dirt and plants struggling for life surrounded…

By Ellie Wolcott, University of Arizona

The first time I knew I wanted to become a flight test engineer (FTE), I was scrolling through Instagram and passed a photo of a woman in a NASA flight suit standing next to a T-38 supersonic jet trainer. It wasn’t long before I found her blog, read that she had been accepted into the National Test Pilot School (NTPS), and decided that someday, I would be too. The summer that I applied for the Defense Civilian Training Corp (DCTC) pilot…

By April Sayers, Virginia Tech

I recently attended the Naval Academy’s Leadership Conference from January 21st through the 24th with several other Defense Civilian Training Corp (DCTC) scholars and Virginia Tech Cadets. The conference offered many opportunities to meet people and make connections, as well as take away messages from the inspirational men and women who were invited to speak to us. The conference followed the structure of speeches or panel sessions…

By Karen Thornton, AIRC Fellow

In early October, the DCTC Executive Leadership Team visited Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. Members of the team observed the strong commitment to service throughout the sprawling campus. Virginia Tech’s informal motto, “This is home”, rings as true for those who have served as for those who aspire to service. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, which includes a citizen leader track, was founded in 1872, but DCTC has created…

By Karen Thornton, AIRC Fellow

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has long been the nation’s leading producer of African American engineers at the undergraduate level. At a recent kickoff event on campus, Dr. Rosalind Jones Dale, Vice Provost for Engagement and Outreach expressed NCA&T’s pride in having been selected as one of 4 universities piloting the Defense Civilian Training Corps, which creates a pathway for students across a variety…

By Andrew Pongrátz, Ellie Wolcott, Ceili Olney and Michael Morales, University of Arizona

On October 4, the University of Arizona cohort of DCTC scholars visited the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (D-M AFB) in southern Tucson, Arizona, just 20 minutes south of the University of Arizona campus. AMARG is responsible for maintaining and repairing parts and equipment that are used by the Air Force as part of the acquisition process and for storing aircraft…

By Karen Thornton, AIRC Fellow

Purdue scholar Belle Higginbotham, a game development & design/animation & VFX major from Louisville, Kentucky, was inspired to join DCTC by her father’s career in the military and government. But it wasn’t obvious to her how her studies in game development and design could be used to contribute to national security. That is until Belle met Dr. Payuna Uday, a research scientist with the Systems Engineering Research Center and proud…

By Karen Thornton, AIRC Fellow

Dr William LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment (A&S), officially launched the Defense Civilian Training Corps on September 7, welcoming 89 scholars at a virtual kickoff event. The event enabled scholars to meet with senior officials in the Department of Defense (DoD) and other distinguished guests who gathered to celebrate the launch. Scholars from all four pilot universities – Purdue University, North Carolina…