Two Belmont nursing students participating in Vanderbilt’s ROTC program recently received two of the highest cadet rankings in the nation. The rankings are based on their total experience as cadets, including academics, physical fitness, performance at strategic camp experiences, leadership and more.
Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Shannon Ellrich (above right) is the fifth-ranked nurse in the nation and is the cadet battalion commander. She is the senior ranking cadet in the program. Cadet Major Hannah Bienhoff (below left) is the first-ranked nurse in the nation and holds the position of senior TAC officer. She is charged with the evaluation of all junior cadets.
Out of 4,417 cadets nationally, Ellrich is ranked 249 and Bienhoff is ranked 53 in the national order of merit rank.
Dr. Martha Buckner, associate professor of nursing, said, “These two Belmont nursing students, who came here as freshmen and have progressed in our traditional program, have achieved the highest ranking as ROTC cadets from any major in recent memory at Vanderbilt. This impresses me because they are being compared with students from all majors from across the nation.”