By the time most students returned from summer break with stories of beach trips or internships, Cadet Jonah Oh had already spent 35 intense days training at Fort Knox and several more working alongside active-duty nurses in one of the Army’s busiest hospitals.
Oh, a senior nursing major and an Army Reserve Officers’ Training (ROTC) cadet
, completed Cadet Summer Training (CST) Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky this summer—a rigorous, 35-day leader development and assessment course designed to test every facet of a cadet’s physical, mental, and leadership abilities. The training pushed cadets through weapons qualifications, land navigation, grenade exercises, obstacle courses, and complex leadership scenarios at the platoon level.
But for Oh, the summer didn’t end there.
Following Advanced Camp, he was selected for the highly competitive Army Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP) at Fort Hood, Texas—an internship that places future Army nurses in real-world hospital settings alongside Army medical professionals.
“Being in NSTP has benefited me greatly,” Oh said. “It truly is one of the first opportunities to be exposed to what Army nursing entails. Using the skills and knowledge I gained from the NIU School of Nursing, I was able to apply them in a functioning Army Medical Center and gain irreplaceable experience.”
Oh rotated through several departments—emergency medicine, the intensive care unit, pediatric medicine, and even the operating room—learning to balance technical nursing skills with critical decision-making in high-stakes environments.
“The rigorous schedule and the constant need to think critically in a medical setting were honestly exhausting,” he admitted. “But I’m glad I got to experience those challenges now, as a cadet, rather than being thrown into them as a new Army nurse. NSTP has truly prepared me for the future.”
For Oh, the highlight of the experience wasn’t just the clinical training—it was the patients.
“In my clinicals at school, we rarely get to work with military members and their families,” he said. “Being able to care for this often-underappreciated group has given me a new perspective. It was a blessing to teach and support them in a hospital setting.”
Back on campus, Oh brings the same drive and leadership to the NIU ROTC program. He currently serves as the Cadet Battalion Command Sergeant Major, a senior leadership role within the battalion, and is also the Vice President of the Northern Prairie Alliance, NIU’s chapter of the American Association for Men in Nursing.
“ROTC has taught me so many individual skills that go beyond our annual training exercises, weekly leadership labs, or daily PT sessions,” he said. “Balancing nursing school and ROTC has forced me to become more disciplined, structured, and resilient. It hasn’t been easy—but that’s what has made me a better leader.”
As he enters his final year at NIU, Oh is ready to pay it forward.
“I look forward to sharing everything I’ve learned this summer with the rest of our cadets. I’m more than ready to lead and assist our battalion staff as we head into what should be a fun and exciting year.”
For students considering ROTC, Oh’s story is a testament to what’s possible: a path where academic excellence, military leadership, and personal growth intersect—and where summers aren’t just breaks from school, but stepping stones toward a meaningful career in service.
Learn more at NIU ROTC.
