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Two ROTC cadets from the University of Tampa spent part of the summer abroad, honing skills that will help them in their desired career fields.

Korra Wasley ’25, a nursing major, spent July and August in Germany, getting hands-on experience at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Landstuhl is the largest American hospital outside the United States, according to Spangdahlem Air Base’s website, where the hospital is located.

The experience is not required, but popular with nursing cadets, because of the opportunity to go overseas.

Wasley was required to complete 120 hours of clinicals and 24 hours of “extra trainings.”

“I got to work in a variety of different units,” she said. 

“I was on the psychiatric floor, same-day surgery, which then they go to the OR [operating room], and then they go to the PACU [Post Anesthesia Care Unit], and then I was on OB [obstetrics] mother/baby,” where she even witnessed some births, she added.

Apart from the clinicals required for the nursing program at UTampa, Wasley had not previously had hands-on experience like this.

“In military hospitals, they allow you to do a lot of things, and they're really focused on making sure that you learn something and are advancing your skills,” she said.

The repetition of hanging IVs, giving injections and setting up EKG machines was particularly helpful for Wasley.

“You get to practice at school, but not that repetitive, which is what you need to hone in on your skills,” Wasley said.

“It was one of the coolest experiences.”

After graduating, Wasley will take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and be a commissioned officer, entering the Army as a second lieutenant.

Her ideal placement, she said, would be Brooke Army Medical Center, a level one trauma center near San Antonio, Texas.

Lexi Martinez ’25, a criminology major and ROTC cadet, spent the summer in Morocco with Project GO.

Project GO is a nationwide program open to qualified ROTC students that offers fully funded opportunities in critical language education and overseas study.

It was not her first time studying abroad. She spent the previous summer in Muscat, the capital of Oman, where she spent nine weeks studying Arabic.

This summer, she continued her studies in the language and lived with a host family.

“It was a lot of school, really intensive,” she said.

Some days the students would learn Arabic from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while other days they would have “culture class.” During culture class, they would go off campus and tour museums, go into the city and explore the country or learn about the culture through lectures.

With her host family, she had the opportunity to celebrate Eid, which marks the end of monthlong fasting for Ramadan.

Martinez said she loves learning languages and has also learned Spanish. She picks up languages quickly.

She also has a special connection to the Middle East, as her father, who serves in the military, was stationed there when she was a freshman in high school, so they lived there for two years, she said.

“So that was when I first kind of got, like, introduced to the Middle Eastern culture, and it's a lot different than what a lot of people think,” Martinez said.

At her host house, she had two “sisters,” who are 29 and 30. Despite the age gap, the three became close and still talk all the time, Martinez said.

When she wasn’t in school, Martinez and her fellow students went to the Atlas Mountains. They also flew to Agadir, where they watched the national team play in a World Cup qualifying soccer game.

Martinez said the experience of studying in Morocco will help her in the future.

“Just trying to communicate was definitely difficult, but learning how to work through it and work with people who are very different from me will help me in my career and just as a person,” she said.

Martinez said she hopes to be assigned to the military intelligence branch, in which case, Kuwait would be a possible placement for her.

“I honestly just want to go anywhere overseas,” she said.