Low tuition at BHSU allows ROTC cadet to travel the world while earning college degree

Full-time jobs, internships, and advanced degrees. In this series, Black Hills State University will highlight the future plans of some of the University’s May 2019 graduates.

Name, major, and hometown?
My name is Jared Kovall-Scarlett. I’m from Rapid City, South Dakota. My major is business administration.

What have you been involved with on campus?
On campus I was involved in the Trap Shooting Club, history and cultural classes with international travel, and ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps). ROTC has been a huge part of my life here at BHSU: physical training three days a week, going to lab, doing different lanes/tactical exercises. It’s really helped develop my leadership abilities, self-confidence, and provided a great opportunity for me to come to BHSU and start a career in the Army.

Tell me more about your international experiences during college.
I traveled on four different BHSU-led international trips and received course credit for each during college. The way I was able to pay for this was through my ROTC Scholarship. ROTC pays my tuition up to $9,999 each semester, and thanks to BHSU’s tuition being low I was able to take a full load of 18-19 credits, also take the international classes and still be under that threshold. I’m graduating debt free.

The first place I went was on a service learning trip to Africa. We went on a safari, did a bike ride around Johannesburg, experienced the local life and culture, and then traveled to Gaborone, Botswana, where we taught three days in a secondary school.

After Africa I went to Italy for a food, culture and history class.

I then went to China over the summer. I took language and cultural classes at China Three Gorges University. I was in tears after that, I made many good friends from China, Korea, and Italy that summer.

Then in the fall, I went to the Philippines for another international service learning course.

Interacting with all these different cultures and people really expanded my worldview. Before I went to college I was more narrow-minded. Getting a new perspective on global issues and how others approach world issues really benefited me. Taking that into the Army – a multicultural and global organization, we have hundreds of military bases around the world – already having interactions with different cultures will give me a one-up over my colleagues.

Who is your favorite professor at BHSU?
All of them have contributed something to my education and I really appreciate every single professor for teaching me and helping develop me as a person. I especially appreciate Dr. Courtney Huse Wika. She was director of the University Honors Program and my advisor. I’ve taken many of her classes and went to Italy with her for a cultural class. I’ll also give a shout-out to the cadre for ROTC: Captain Jeremy DeLoach and Nadim Antar. They’ve both developed me as a person and as a future Army Officer. Without them I would not be where I am today.

Tell me about your plans after graduation.
I’ll be going into the active duty Army. I’ll be stationed in Fort Drum, N.Y., and have a four-year commitment. In the Army I’ll be a transportation officer – basically that’s moving things: ammunition, water, fuel. Once I graduate on May 4 I’ll go to Fort Lee in Virginia for 16 weeks to learn how to do my job. I’ll be graduating without any debt and the military gave me a monthly stipend throughout school. My mom was in the National Guard, my dad was in the Air Force, my grandpa was in the Army. We have a long family history of serving our country and I will continue that tradition.

Tell me about a moment when you experienced growth during college.
In ROTC we have Field Training Exercises where BHSU, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, and Chadron State College in Nebraska get together to do different tactical lanes. During that I was Platoon Sergeant and it really tested all I’d learned through ROTC and molded me into the leader I am today.

What will you miss about Black Hills State?
I’ve really enjoyed the sense of community with all the students at BHSU. I’ve made a lot of connections. The area is beautiful, the Black Hills, the small town community – I’ve found that really comforting. I was also 45 minutes away from my hometown which was also nice. I’ll be going away here soon to the Army, a much different world.

What’s your favorite memory at Black Hills State?
Going out in the Hills and hiking with friends. I remember my freshman year, everyone was so welcoming, I made a lot of friends that way – piling into a car, driving out into the Hills, and finding a place to hike. I’ll miss that so much.

How has BHSU prepared you for your future?
I feel like Black Hills State has definitely prepared me for my future, although what I’m going into next will be a different environment. I feel like we have such a diverse student body and faculty. I’ve been able to experience different cultures despite being in small town South Dakota. I feel like that’s really given me an advantage.

Nearly 400 graduates will be recognized during the 177th BHSU Commencement Ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 4 at the Donald E. Young Sports and Fitness Center. The public is invited to join and celebrate the students’ achievements. Degrees to be awarded include 53 master’s degrees, 311 bachelor’s degrees, and 33 associate’s degrees. An honorary doctorate will be bestowed upon Major Dr. Brett Theeler, BHSU Class of 2001, deputy chief of the Department of Neurology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.