DSP Alumni

William Boyd

William Boyd majored in math and physics; he received the Math Department Outstanding Senior Award for the Class 2025. In the summer of 2024, he interned for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research through the Air Force Research Lab Scholars Program, where was awarded the AFRL Scholars Program’s Outstanding Scholar Award for his work on Optical Frequency Combs for Free Space Communications. His team won first place at the 2025 Military Operations Research Society Conference for their presentation on optimal distribution of unmanned assets in the Gulf of Aden to combat piracy. William interned for Senator Tim Scott’s office after graduation and worked for the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He received an Anna Sobel Levy Fellowship for graduate study and will attend Reichman University’s International Institute for Counterterrorism.

Eoin Clarke

2LT Eoin Clarke is an active duty military intelligence officer in the Army.  He graduated from The Citadel in 2025 as a Political Science and Intelligence & Security Studies double major.  He was a member of India company.  He currently attends MIBOLC in FT Huachuca Arizona.

James Ives

James Ives is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force and currently serves as Deputy Flight Commander of the Financial Management Flight in the 633rd Comptroller Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA. He graduated summa cum laude and was a Finance major and a double minor in Mandarin and Applied Statistics. He was a member of the Honors Program and had a 3-year HSSP AFROTC scholarship. James spent the summers of 2022 and 2023 studying Mandarin in Taiwan through ProjectGO. In December 2023, he helped co-lead a group of 6 cadets to Rwanda and Kenya for a service project building mountain bike trails while also continuing his research on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in East Africa. The research focused on the stated goals of BRI from President Xi of China versus actual outcomes using the portfolio of projects in Rwanda in Kenya, survey data on East African-China sentiment, and economic freedom analysis. At The Citadel, James was the Co-Portfolio Manager of The Student Managed Investment Fund and gave the commencement speech at graduation as 2025 Class President. He is working to apply for the USAF Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP) and attend law school. 

Andrew Palmer

Andrew Palmer is a Lieutenant in the Air Force and currently serves as Gold Bar Recruiter at the 347th Recruiting Squadron in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. He graduated as the First Honor Graduate and had triple-majors in Political Science, with a focus on International and Military Affairs, German, and History. He also minored in Economics. He received an Air Force ROTC four-year scholarship and a Citadel Scholars scholarship. He was in the Honors Program and was a Citadel Hurling Team member. 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. During the 2023-2024 school year, Andrew organized a service project to Rwanda where he built four mountain bike trails in the countryside while also examining the genocide in the context of failed peacekeeping. In the summer of 2024, he continued his research into peacekeeping, traveling to Bosnia and the United Kingdom, where he looked at primary sources regarding British policy towards the Rwanda and Bosnia peacekeeping missions.  His DSP project focused on the lack of American interests in the Rwandan genocide, and he hopes to continue this project in grad school looking at a comparison between the conflicts in Rwanda and Bosnia. After his year as a recruiter, he will attend pilot training.

Gage Timberlake

Gage Timberlake is from Orlando, Florida, and majored in Criminal Justice. He commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the US Army National Guard and plans on attending law school. At The Citadel, he was editor for The Gold Star Journal; a cadet in Army ROTC; and a member of the Honors Program, the 1842 Scholars Cohort, and the Inn of Court. Gage enjoys playing the bass, doing rugby, and running in his free time. In the summer of 2023, Gage had an undergraduate student internship with the Office of the Florida State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit (Orlando DA). He was a member of the Honor Court and the Ranger Challenge team.

Frederick Vogel, Jr.

Frederick S. Vogel, Jr. came to The Citadel as an Eagle Scout from McLean, Virginia. He majored Electrical Engineering and minored in Chemistry. He was an active member of The Citadel’s Honors College, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi. During the summer of 2023, Frederick volunteered at the South Carolina Brain Institute of Health, assisting doctors and nurses treating veterans with various forms of dementia. As a member of several interdisciplinary teams, he has conducted research at the Rhodes Engineering Research Center and MUSC’s Orthopedic Bioengineering Laboratory. These experiences provided the foundation for his paper on right heart failure which was published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease. Before medical school, he saw global medicine firsthand while volunteering in The Citadel’s free Kenyan medical camp. Commissioning in the United States Air Force, he now attends the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences, pursuing his MD. His free time is spent rock climbing, playing soccer, cooking, and reading books primarily from late 19th century Russia.

Sam Wilson

Sam E. Wilson was a Citadel Honors Program student double-majoring in English and History and minoring in International Criminal Justice. He is from a small town in Iowa called Carlisle and attended The Citadel on a U.S. Army scholarship. Upon graduation, he commissioned into the United States Army as an Infantry Officer. During his time at The Citadel, Sam earned the “Star of the West Award” for being the best-drilled cadet in the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. In May of 2023, Sam participated in an exchange with the Royal Military Academy of the Netherlands, where he conducted field training with its cadets and met with US-NATO representatives. He was selected for a Killam Fellowship through Fulbright Canada, and in the fall of 2023, he studied at the Royal Military College of Canada. Sam served the South Carolina Corps of Cadets as the Regimental Commander for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Grace Geiger (née Cooper)

Grace Elizabeth Geiger is currently training as USMC Second Lieutenant at The Basic School. Grace earned a B.A. at The Citadel in Criminal Justice with a Fine Arts Minor. During her time there she was selected to be the 2nd Battalion Sergeant Major and 5th Battalion Commander. As the recipient of the Olmsted Scholarship, she studied French in Nice, France during the summer of 2022. She also studied abroad in Cyprus, and the UK. In March of 2024, Grace went to Sanremo, Italy to participate in the Law of Armed Conflict Competition. At the annual Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice Honor Society) conference in Las Vegas in March 2022, she presented a crime map on mass shootings. At The Citadel, she earned Gold Stars every semester for 4 years and was selected for the President’s Award. She received an NROTC scholarship and the Robert Burnett Scholarship her sophomore year to pursue a career as a Marine Corps Officer.

Ashlyn Howard

Ashlyn Howard served six years in the US Army Reserve, including an overseas deployment. She graduated with summa cum laude as a Veteran student, earning a BSBA in Marketing & Business Development with a minor in English. Throughout her college career, she served as President of the Student Veterans Association and Vice President of Investor Relations for the Student Managed Investment Fund. Ashlyn also was a two-time finalist in the corps-wide Henry Dale Public Speaking Competition. In winter 2023, she studied international business in London, Paris, and the Hague. She currently resides in Boston, working in Marketing for Deloitte. 

Richard Milling

Richard “Hughes” Milling lives in Rock Hill, SC, and works with Nucor Towers & Structures as a structural engineer. This is a startup group with Nucor Steel that delivers critical infrastructure to renewable energy projects across the world. He is pursuing his masters degree in Structural Engineering from The Citadel, focusing in earthquake design for steel structures. 

Railija Neiders

Railija Neiders lives in Seattle, WA, and works in Auburn.

Rohan Shah

Rohan Shah graduated in December 2023 with a degree in Finance and minors in Economics and Data Science . While at The Citadel, Rohan served as the Head of Training and Energy Sector Head for The Citadel’s Student Managed Investment Fund. Rohan was a member of The Citadel’s Division One Baseball team, where he played for 3 years. Additionally, Rohan was a part of several on-campus programs including the Business Scholars Program, Alpha Beta Psi, and Beta Gamma Sigma, while holding rank as a Squad Sergeant. As an undergrad, Rohan earned a 3.84 GPA and held internships in Wealth Management, Venture Capital, Commercial Real Estate Private Equity, and Commercial Banking, closing his last semester out by earning recognition as a Boeing Scholarship Recipient.

After graduation, Rohan joined Fifth Third Bank’s Commercial Banking Development Program in Nashville, TN. Rohan also recently started a position on The Citadel’s Young Alumni Council as the lone representative for the 2024 class. Rohan is currently still part of Pakistan’s National Baseball Team most recently playing in the 2025 Little Palestine Classic as an outfielder. 

Benjamin Stemmet

Ben Stemmet Graduated in 2024 with a degree in Finance and a minor in Economics. While at the Citadel, Ben served as the President and Portfolio Manager of The Citadel’s Student Managed Investment Fund. Ben was a member of the Citadel’s Varsity Wrestling team where he was a three-time Academic All-American. Ben was awarded The Citadel Brigadier Foundation President’s Award; awarded annually to a senior athlete who has contributed the most to The Citadel’s athletic programs and the Corps of Cadets. As an undergrad, Ben maintained a 4.0 GPA and held internships in Wealth Management, Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Investment Banking.

Upon graduation, Ben has worked as an Investment Banking Analyst for Guggenheim Partners and Houlihan Lokey in Atlanta, Georgia – focusing on Technology Mergers and Acquisitions advisory. Ben also Serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Charleston Wrestling Regional Training Center.

A native of Yorkville, Illinois, Ben enjoys Mixed Martial Arts and international travel, visiting 16 countries since graduation.

Joseph Whelan Stilwell

Joseph Stilwell is a proud Infantry officer in the United States Army with a first assignment at Fort Stewart, GA. Joseph graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors at The Citadel, where he served in a number of leadership positions in conjunction with his academic endeavors. He has an interest in attending law school either during or after his active duty service in the Army.

Blake Garwood

Since his graduation in May 2023, Blake has been with Oates Energy, a utility billing company in Jacksonville, Florida. He began his tenure working in the Technical Services Department and was quickly promoted to manager. Here he oversaw installations and repairs of water meter systems throughout the country. Following the company’s transition of ownership in late 2024, Blake was promoted to Chief of Staff. In this role, he works with the CEO to direct business operations and lead special projects. In his free time, Blake enjoys grilling, playing golf, and reading.

Austin Miles-Curtsinger

Austin Curtsinger is an officer Marine Corps. He recently served as a 6602 Aviation Supply Officer in Beaufort, SC. In April 2025 he became the Joint Strike Fighter Division Officer in Charge (JSD OIC), managing a warehouse of about 40 marines who ensure the F-35 squadrons and maintenance personnel get the parts they need in order to facilitate jets’ ability to fly missions. He will serve at this duty station for the next 3 years and is planning on doing a second 3-year contract. 

John Morris

John Morris lives in Lexington, SC, and is in his third and final year of law school at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law. At the law school, he is a student ambassador for the admissions department and also serves as an Articles Editor for the South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business. He is also working as a law clerk at the law firm of Murphy & Grantland, P.A., which he will be joining as an associate attorney after he graduates and passes the bar exam. John and his wife have a daughter, a dog, and two cats. 

Elissa Reckdenwald

Elissa Reckdenwald is currently living in London working as an analyst for Kite Insights, a consultant agency that focuses on sustainability. She graduated with Merit from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil in Politics and International Studies in June 2024. Her dissertation is titled “The Politics of Criminalizing Famine under International Law.”

Trevor West

After graduating from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, as an Honors Student and Distinguished Scholar, Trevor West gained venture capital experience at Meeting Street Capital. He credits the partners, founders, and associates there with shaping the clarity of purpose he carries today. In conversations with the partners about his passion for operations and process improvement, Trevor decided to pursue Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). Guided by their advice, “don’t skip steps,” he left the Meeting Street Capital ecosystem to gain hands-on operating experience in blue-collar industries.

He joined AMERI-CANS, a veteran-owned portable sanitation company, drawn to its mission of employing veterans and financially supporting Gold Star Families. Trevor successfully launched and operated the South Carolina location, the company’s first branch outside of headquarters, and was later promoted to Director of Strategic Growth. In this new role, he has led company-wide process improvement, advised ownership on M&A, recruited and coached new Branch Operations Managers, and spearheaded branch expansion across the Eastern U.S.

In August 2025, Trevor began the Executive MBA program at UVA Darden’s DC Metro campus while continuing to serve AMERI-CANS. Upon graduation in 2027, he plans to conduct a self-funded search to acquire and operate a small business in Charleston, SC.

Trevor lives in West Ashley with his wife, Katarina, and their two dogs, Tig and Morse. He served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division as an Infantry Paratrooper. He is the founder of a local 12-member men’s group he has hosted weekly for the past three years and owns a real estate portfolio of residential multifamily and single-family properties.

Will Jensen

Will Jensen is the lead engineer of the Financial Domain at Fullbay. He leads a team of software engineers that focuses on developing systems such as invoicing, billing, book keeping, payment processing, and taxes within the Fullbay application. He and his wife live in Redmond, Washington, where they enjoy frequent outdoor adventures with their Golden Retriever, along with Global Travel, with recent highlights being Tahiti, Moorea, and Réveillon in Rio.

Martynas Tendzegolskis

Martynas Tendzegolskis is from Vilnius, Lithuania. He graduated from The Citadel with a bachelor’s in political science and minors in economics, mathematics, and statistics. He went on to serve in the Lithuanian military after graduation. He will be attending the SDA Bocconi business school in Milan, Italy, for a Master in Corporate Finance (MCF), after which he pursue a career in finance.