Congratulations to the newest DSP cohort! Sophomore Distinguished Scholars were inducted on November 17, 2022. Medal of Honor recipient Major General James E. Livingston spoke with the Distinguished Scholars at the Fall dinner about leadership and how they could make a difference. His speech’s focus on the import of integrity, problem-solving, and understanding people for meaningful leadership was truly inspirational and will guide our Distinguished Scholars for years to come.
Seniors
Blake Garwood
Blake Garwood is a senior computer engineering major from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and cooking. At The Citadel, Blake is the Vice President of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering honor society. Additionally, Blake has held multiple technical internships and research positions, including his work on a research grant with the NASA Space Grant Consortium. Here he helped develop a mission concept for the autonomous exploration of Martian lava tubes, a potential site for human life on Mars. Blake hopes to further his education in Engineering with a Master’s degree. He is also interested in entrepreneurship, seeing business as the best way for him to make a positive impact on others.
Austin Miles-Curtsinger
William Moran
Elissa Reckdenwald
Elissa, a fourth-class student currently serving as Sierra Company Commander, comes from Andrews, South Carolina. She is a Second Battalion legacy as her father graduated from Hotel, Class of ’93. Elissa is an Intelligence and Security Studies and Spanish double major with a double minor in Cyber Interdisciplinary Studies and Leadership Studies. She has excelled in the classroom, receiving Gold Stars every semester. Academically, Elissa is a member of The Citadel Leadership Scholars Program, The Yawkey Scholars Program, and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Gold Star Journal, The Citadel’s most prestigious academic publication. She was recently inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Elissa has served as an intern at the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office where she worked personally with each unit within the office to develop an understanding of the criminal justice system as well as an intern for Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s Charleston office where she assisted the Constituent Services team and the District Director. Following graduation in May of 2023, Elissa hopes to be accepted into a prestigious postgraduate program where she will study Foreign Relations and International Affairs.
Trevor West
As a U.S. Army Veteran, Trevor is experienced in leadership, problem solving, and conflict resolution. While attending The Citadel, Trevor has achieved a 3.9 GPA and has been accepted into The Citadel Distinguished Scholars Program as well as the Honors Program. He is the Founder of The Citadel Real Estate Investment Club. He also serves as the Portfolio Manager for the Citadel Student Managed Investment Fund, where he trains fellow students on equity research and develops the next generation of principled leaders who will manage the fund upon his graduation. Trevor’s main interests include Financial Modeling, Private Equity, M&A, Economics, and Data Analysis.
Juniors
Grace Cooper
Grace Elizabeth Cooper is Second Battalion Sergeant Major. She was the Human Affairs Corporal her sophomore year in Papa company. She is in her third year pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. As the recipient of the Olmsted scholarship, she studied French in Nice, France during the summer of 2022. She also presented a crime map on mass shootings at the Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice Honor Society, and conference in Las Vegas in March 2022. Grace was selected for the President’s Award during her Freshman year and has received Gold Stars every semester. She received an NROTC scholarship and the Robert Burnett Scholarship her sophomore year to pursue a career as a Marine Corps Officer after graduating. She is striving to pursue a career as a pilot in the Marines and to continue traveling abroad.
Leo Ernesto Bachir Eckhardt
Leo is a Junior double majoring in Intelligence Analysis and Security Studies (Counterterrorism) and Social Studies Education, with minors in German, and Cyber Interdisciplinary Studies. He was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, as a dual citizen, eventually leaving for South Carolina to attend Military Boarding School in the eighth grade.
After graduating from Camden Military in 2019 he moved to St. Petersburg, Russia to study Russian; due to the pandemic, he returned to Vienna in March of 2020, where he taught kindergarten until returning to the United States to attend the Citadel in June of 2020. At The Citadel, Leo serves as a Squad Leader Bravo Company. He is the President of the Special Operations Auxiliary, Hillel Student Organization, and founding President of the Russian Club, the Vice President for the the Mixed Martial Arts Club, and the secretary for the German Club. He is also a member of the Association of the United States Army, the Honors Program, the Skydiving Club, as well as the Ranger Challenge Team and the Rock Climbing Team.
As an Army contract, Leo spent his summer attending a variety of army schools. He completed assessment and selection for US Army Special Operations: Psychological Operations, walked onto the Security Force Assistance Foreign Weapons Course, and attended the special forces culminating exercise Robin Sage where he was a Guerilla.
With an eclectic set of interests, Leo plans to pursue several scholarships; he hopes to continue his graduate studies in Counterterrorism, Education, and Linguistics internationally. Leo hopes to commission as an Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) officer and then further pursue a career in Intelligence and Foreign Policy, and eventually transition into the field of Education.
Joshua Howell
Joshua comes from Tyler, Texas, and is a rising junior majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Psychology. He is interested in doing research on the psychological side of law enforcement in the hopes of preventing criminal activity. Joshua is also in the Honors Program at The Citadel and participates in the men’s club soccer team and Chapel Color Guard Drill Unit as well as being active in the Baptist Ministries group on campus. In high school, Joshua was a member of the National Honors Society as well as being accepted into the East Texas Rotary Club. He was a 4-sport athlete/captain in high school earning All-State honors in basketball, track, soccer, and football while also being student body president of his class. Joshua is currently serving a year with the U.S. Navy and will resume his studies next fall. His plans include graduate school and securing a position with the FBI.
Richard Milling
Richard Hughes Milling Jr. grew up in Darlington, South Carolina with his mother, father, and sister. He is a Civil & Environmental Engineering major and Distinguished Scholar at The Citadel. He has a desire to pursue sustainable development and materials optimization. He has worked two internships during his time studying engineering. He worked with Cartee-Berry and Associates, a steel design firm specializing in connection design and structural detailing. He has also worked with S&ME conducting geotechnical field explorations and working on design calculations for deep and shallow foundations. While attending The Citadel, he joined The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Ducks Unlimited, and The Institute of Transportation Engineers as the treasurer. Currently he is the student co-chair for the ASCE Carolinas Conference, a regional engineering competition of roughly 250 students from 12 different institutions. In his free time he enjoys hunting with his dad and sport shooting. In high school, he played football, baseball, soccer, and shot sporting clays where he won multiple state titles. He was the salutatorian of his graduating class and received the distinction of being the best student in English, History, and Science for his high school. Upon graduation, Richard plans to pursue his professional licensure in Civil Engineering and research sustainable land use and development practices.
Railija Neiders
Railija is a Junior Political Science Pre-Law and Business Management double major, Honors student, and Distinguished Scholar from Seattle, Washington, as well as a dual citizen to Latvia. At The Citadel, she is a member of the NCAA D1 rifle team, president of the Episcopalian fellowship, vice-president of the Real Estate Investment Club, a writing tutor, and a member of the Catholic Choir. Her pastimes include working with her horses, being outdoors, singing, cooking, and listening to true crime and real estate podcasts. She has several mentors she likes to keep in contact with, both on and off campus. The first of these is her father, Karl Neiders, who has instilled an astounding sense of work ethic in her from a young age as she watched him build his company. He’s closely followed by her uncle, Everett Johnson, who taught her the importance of adventure and chasing your passion. On campus, her two strongest mentors are Dr. Ragan of the honors program, who has been immeasurably helpful in both school and home life, and Professor Paul Meeks, who instilled a true love of business and the stock market in her. Railija is interested in applying for the Knight-Hennessy and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Latvia so she can not only expand on her own culture but encourage others to grow in that area as well. In the long term, she hopes to join a joint JD MBA program with a focus in real estate so that she can continue her families work in lower- and middle-income housing on the west coast.
Rohan Shah
Rohan is an Indian American first-generation college student. He is from Burr Ridge, Illinois, and is majoring in Finance with minors in Data Science and Economics. At The Citadel, Rohan is also a member of the Business Scholars Program and is an outfielder for The Citadel’s NCAA Baseball team; he is also involved with the Student-Managed Investment fund. In high school, Rohan was an honor roll student every semester while playing baseball and basketball. Rohan also earned the rank of Eagle Scout and organized a drive donating over 200 pieces of used baseball equipment to underprivileged children in inner-city Chicago. He loves to read, work out, meet people, watch movies, and spend time with his family and friends. Rohan plans on continuing his collegiate baseball career at a prestigious graduate school while working on a master’s degree. This past summer Rohan interned with Mesirow Financial in Chicago under Wealth Management, and he plans on interning in the field this summer to further his understanding. This fall Rohan competed in the global World Series Regional Competition in Panama City, Panama, where he had a double and scored a run as one of few college players on a nation’s roster.
Benjamin Stemmet
Ben Stemmet is from Yorkville, Illinois, is majoring in Finance and minoring in Economics and Data Science. He is a 2-year starter for the varsity wrestling team and maintains a 4.0 GPA. Ben is currently Interning at Frontline Healthcare Partners, a Private Equity firm in Charleston. This past summer, Ben interned at Meeting Street Capital, a venture capital firm also in Charleston. Ben has accepted an internship offer at Bourne Partners, an investment bank in Charlotte for the summer of 2023. He was recently named Executive Vice President and Assistant Portfolio Manager for the Citadel’s Student Managed Investment Fund and is a member of the Business Scholars program at The Citadel. Ben is currently a Squad Sergeant within the Corps of Cadets and is in Oscar Company. In the summer of 2021, Ben interned at Apollon Wealth management in Mt. Pleasant, SC and was named the Citadel’s ambassador for the Wrestlers in Business Network. Ben is the son of Steve and Megan Stemmet and has two brothers including an identical twin. In high school, Ben was a member of Student Council, National Honor Society, and the Student Athlete Leadership Team. As captain of the football and wrestling team, Ben was selected as: Male Athlete of the Year, Student Athlete of the Year, and was nominated for Illinois Scholastic Wrestler of the Year.
Joseph Stilwell
Joseph Stilwell is from Greenville, South Carolina, where he attended Riverside High School. He and his two sisters were raised by his two parents Rob Stilwell, and Charlotte Stilwell. In high school he participated in service learning, National Honor Society, and as Captain/assistant coach of the varsity lacrosse team. After graduating in 2020, he matriculated into The Citadel. At the Citadel he currently oversees over 100 cadets’ academic status, and well-being. He is an English major focusing on Pre-Law. Last summer, he had an internship at Nelson Mullins Law Firm, where he made several professional connections and gained several mentors. He has earned a full ROTC Army scholarship and plans to commission as an infantry officer after graduation. His particular interests include philosophical ethics, logic, reading, and writing. He is also involved in the Inn of Court, and The Citadel Distinguished Scholar Program.
Sophomores
Jillian Aylsworth
Jillian Aylsworth plans to attend medical school to continue her journey to becoming a trauma surgeon. Besides the Distinguished Scholars Program, Jillian is involved with The Citadel’s Honors Program, The American Chemical Society, The SALSA club, The Pre-Health Society, and The Gold Star Journal.
William Boyd
William Boyd is majoring in Math and intends to double major in Physics. He is from southern New Hampshire, and came to The Citadel seeking the discipline and structure that it offers. In his free time he likes to read and go on runs. In the future, he will seek out opportunities to apply what he is learning in either an academic or professional setting.
Eoin Clarke
Cadet Eoin Clarke was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he lived with his family until moving to New York where he spent the majority of his youth. He graduated from Hendrick Hudson High School in June 2021. During his time at high school he participated in the youth rowing club. Cadet Clarke is a double major and has an Army contract. In his scarce free time, he can be found reading or watching a movie.
Nicholas DeConto
Nicholas graduated from Winchester High School in 2021 and was as on the sailing team and baseball team and was an active member of the Criminal Justice Club . During his junior year, was one of 60 students selected from 600 applications for the FBI Teen Academy. He was awarded a full 4-year college scholarship from the U.S. Army National Guard. He is a recipient of Gold Star Award and Dean’s List in both semesters of freshman year and subsequently awarded two additional scholarships, based on merit and character, from The Citadel in 2022. As a freshman, he was one of 6 cadets in the country selected for an internship with the NSA in Cyber Operations at one of their field offices in New Mexico for the summer of 2022. He is a skipper on The Citadel Sailing team and is a member of the Republican Club and the Public Speaking Club. After graduation, he plans to pursue advanced degrees in Cyber studies and work for a three-letter agency while fulfilling military commitment.
Ashlyn Howard
Ashlyn Howard is majoring in Marketing and minoring in English. She plans to work in the business sector upon graduation before obtaining a Juris Doctorate. She is the Vice President of The Citadel Student Veterans Association, an association that acts as a liaison with the college for the veteran and active duty students on campus. She is also the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Student Managed Investment Fund, managing a portfolio of $1.5 Million. Before enrolling at The Citadel, she served in the Army Reserve for five years and is a Sergeant (E-5) in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a paralegal.
James Ives
James Ives will commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Air Force after graduation. During his senior year, he plans on applying to become a Schwarzman Scholar to attend Tsinghua University in Shanghai for a Master’s in Global Affairs, which will also allow him to continue his Mandarin studies. After completing this degree, he plans to return to the US to go to law school and will become a USAF JAG Officer. He is a member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, helps manage a $1.6 million-dollar portfolio for the Student Management Investment Fund, and serves as secretary of the Chinese Club.
Andrew Palmer
Andrew Palmer double-majors in Political Science, with a focus on International and Military Affairs, and German and also minors in Economics and Southern Studies. He received an Air Force ROTC four-year scholarship as well as a Citadel Scholars scholarship. He is in the Honors Program and am a member of the Citadel Hurling Team. Andrew spent the fall semester of 2022 in London working as an intern for the Margaret Thatcher Centre and worked in Parliament and for the Institute of Economic Affairs. After graduation, he hopes to be commissioned as a pilot in the Air Force Reserve.
Gage Timberlake
Gage Timberlake is a Criminal Justice major from Orlando, FL who plans to begin law school and commission into the US Army following graduation. At The Citadel, he is an editor for The Gold Star Journal, a cadet in Army ROTC, and a member of the Honors Program, the 1842 Scholars Cohort, the Inn of Court, and the rugby team. Outside of school, Gage enjoys playing the bass and running in his free time.
Frederick Vogel, Jr.
Frederick S. Vogel, Jr. grew up in McLean, Virginia. He is an Eagle Scout and loves the outdoors. Frederick previously worked on the AWS Deepracer competition and is a member of The Citadel’s Honors College. He is a passionate reader of literature from Russia’s literary “Golden Age.” He is majoring in Electrical Engineering and has plans to conduct research in the field of neuroscience this summer.
Sam Wilson
Sam E. Wilson is a Citadel Honors Program student double-majoring in English and History. He is originally from a small town in Iowa called Carlisle and attends The Citadel on a US Army scholarship. He has completed the Army’s Air Assault School and plans on becoming an Army JAG Officer. During his time at The Citadel, Sam has earned the “Star of the West Award” for being the best-drilled cadet in the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.