More than 300 Cadets graduate from Virginia Military Institute

Armando Herrera DosReis of Roanoke poses with his championship belt, third from the left. (Courtesy: VMI) (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

LEXINGTON (WSLS 10) - Virginia Military Institute (VMI) expects about 325 cadets to graduate during the ceremony Monday, May 16.  More than half of those will commission in U.S. armed forces or those of their native country.  The class includes 52 Distinguished Military Graduates.  VMI's Army ROTC unit has, in recent years, commissioned the largest number of cadets of any Army ROTC unit in the nation and, after the 2015-16 academic year, will commission the highest number of Distinguished Military Graduates of any ROTC unit in the nation.

The following is some information from VMI about the graduates:

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Matthew Tonkinson with one of his advisers for his honors thesis on the ethics of torture. (Courtesy: VMI)

Matthew Tonkinson of Keene, N.H.: Matthew is from the hometown of VMI alumnus Jonathan Daniels '61, who as a seminary student gave his life to save the life of an African-American teenager while he was in Alabama assisting with voter registration.  Matthew attended Jonathan M. Daniels (elementary) School and the church that Daniels attended and in which he preached.  After hearing all through his childhood about Daniels' heroic act, and knowing he wanted a military commission, he opted to become a cadet at VMI, a school not well known in New Hampshire.  A psychology major, he has excelled at VMI and has been selected for the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps.  He will commission May 15.

Armando Herrera DosReis of Roanoke poses with his championship belt, third from the left. (Courtesy: VMI)

Armando Herrera DosReis of Roanoke: Armando was one three cadets who were individual champions at the 2015 United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association national tournament, in which the team won the title. He will commission in the U.S. Army May 15 and then will attend seminary to become an Army chaplain.

Chung-Chen Hsiao of Taiwan is a distinguished graduate who has an unusual combination of majors, physics with nuclear concentration and mechanical engineering. He is one of five cadets in the Class of 2016 who are exchange students from the Republic of China (Taiwan), most of whom are cadets on exchange from the ROC Military Academy. After graduation, he will commission into the Republic of China armed forces.

Mackenzie Harrmann on stage last spring when she was named Captain. (Courtesy: VMI)

Mackenzie Harrmann of Wisconsin is an academically strong, well-rounded cadet.  A double major in physics and applied math, she is also a captain in the Corps of Cadets and a member of VMI's powerlifting club.  Last fall, in fact, she qualified for the USA Powerlifting National Championships. She commissioned May 15 in the U.S. Army.


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You can see Jenna weekday mornings at the anchor desk on WSLS 10 Today from 5-7 a.m. She also leads our monthly Solutionaries Series, where we highlight the creative thinkers and doers working to make the world a better place.