LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM

 
Every year, thousands of high school students across the country apply for a Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship.
In order to be a recipient, someone needs to be well rounded, and in many ways must be unique and well rounded.
For Lauren Alexander, she fits the mold.
Alexander was adopted from Russia when she was around 3 years old, speaking not a word of English.
After her parents brought her to her new home of Mantorville at the young age, it didn’t take her long to become fluent in the language of English.
Her father Todd explained that when she has always been an outgoing person, and that she knew that she needed to learn the language in order to communicate with her older sister Kendall and others around her.
And she did just that.
After about six months, he explained that she was able to hold conversations in English, after only knowing Russian her whole life.
As she gets ready to graduate from Kasson-Mantorville High School this spring, her knack for learning languages will come in handy, as she begins her new journey in life.
After being awarded a ROTC scholarship recently, she now has her eyes set on being apart of the Russian Flagship Program, where she will get the chance to become an advanced Russian speaker and help defend the United States of America, a country that she came to about 15 years ago.
Alexander explained that she knew by the time she was in middle school that she wanted to serve her country.
“I knew I wanted to give back to the country that gave so much to me,” Alexander said.
When she got to high school, she figured that she would enlist into the military right out of high school, until she found out about programs like ROTC, where she would be allowed to get an education first, before serving the country.
After finding out these programs, Alexander had her eyes set on pursuing a ROTC scholarship, and eventually found out about a different program that would she feels she will be perfect for, and that is the Russian Flagship program.
“I knew it was the route I should take,” Alexander said.
From there, she began the intensive application process, which began her junior year, and ended with the final step of doing an interview with a professor of Military Science, at her top university, which is Indiana University.
Recently, she found out she was a recipient of the ROTC scholarship and Russian Flagship Program, and will begin her journey of giving back to the country this fall.
As part of the flagship program, Alexander explained that she will be apart of an extensive language program.
She explained, that during the five year program, she will be becoming very skilled and fluent in Russian, and will be able to spend her entire fifth year in Russia, capstoning her skills.
Aside from becoming fluent in Russian, she explained that she will also be learning military skills, and that when she graduates she could be put into the field right away, in a number of different capacities.
Although she would say she is a little more than a beginner, through taking Russian lessons, currently, she knows she has a lot to learn after not being fluent in Russian for 15 years.
“I have a long way to go,” she said.
During her time at K-M, Alexander has kept herself busy, being a member of the soccer team, softball team, Minnesota Honor Society, FCA, pep band, as well as the firefighters explorers club.
At Indiana University, Alexander will be studying Global International studies, along with Russian.
After graduating from college, Alexander will have a five year commitment to the United States Military, in some capacity, which she is looking forward to.