Elise Woodworth ’07:
Why I VMI

“So the more that I lean into it, the more that I come back to VMI, and the more that I give back, the more that I’m getting out of it. When you graduate, when you get that diploma, and you cross that stage, that’s not the end of your VMI experience.” That’s what Elise (Jones) Woodworth ’07 has to say about her decision to stay involved with VMI on top of everything else she has going on—and in her case, “everything else” involves homeschooling her five children and running her own business. Woodworth is a member of the Foundation Board of Trustees; the daughter of an alum, Rick Jones ’72; and a passionate advocate for the Institute.

Woodworth matriculated from Decatur, Indiana, and made her first visit to post sometime in the 1990s when she accompanied her father to a reunion. The Institute made a positive impression, and when VMI went coed in 1997, Woodworth immediately asked her father to get her a provisional appointment. “I was really excited to have that, and that was a proud moment for me,” she recalled. “Just in recognizing I wanted to be in the military, even at that young age, that I was going to follow in his footsteps a little bit was really exciting for me.”

When the time came to choose a college, Woodworth had options, including plenty of schools closer to her midwestern home. Feeling a calling to a road less traveled, though, she chose VMI—and did so at a time when women at the Institute were still considered trailblazers. “When I came, and I met cadre, that first moment when you meet your cadre, I knew that was the next 4 years of my life,” she noted. “And I knew that it was a game that I was going to play, and they weren’t going to win.”

Inspired by a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson—“Nothing in life was ever achieved without enthusiasm”—Woodworth chose to “lean in” to her cadetship all the way.

“But it’s in that leaning in that you learn those good habits that are going stay with you—the ability to wake up early and perform at a moment’s notice is not something that you pick up without practice,” she stated. “The ability to, by default, tell the truth, even when it’s really hard—that’s not something you pick up naturally.”

But Woodworth quickly learned that even an attitude of leaning in doesn’t erase the challenges of VMI. “There were times at VMI where there was nothing I could do correctly,” she said. “It’s designed that way so that you have to fail. And becoming comfortable with the fallibility of my human nature was something that we don’t get faced with in any other environment, which is why it’s what makes VMI unique. And I think we need to encounter that, especially going into the military, especially going into leadership positions where sometimes there’s not a right answer.”

During her cadetship, Woodworth ran track and cross country and was a member of several clubs, including the Promaji Club and the Theatre Club. In addition, she served as the 2nd Battalion S7 lieutenant—a position responsible for boosting Corps morale.

“I loved every minute of making VMI a better place to be for my brother rats, for the other members of the Corps,” she commented. “That was so fun to use my enthusiasm in that way.”

At the beginning of her 3rd Class year, Woodworth also got involved in an activity she’d never tried before—cheerleading. “What an experience!” she recounted. “It allowed me to channel all my enthusiasm, all my excitement for VMI, for the Corps, for the football team, for the basketball team, and lead with enthusiasm, which was really exciting for me—learning that skill and then carrying that with me to having rank in the Corps.”

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, Woodworth commissioned into the U.S. Air Force. When she was assigned to logistics, Woodworth wasn’t sure what that even was—but as usual, she dove in headfirst. “The amazing thing about the service is that they train you to do the job they need you to do,” she stated. “And they give you all the tools that you need to achieve that. I leaned in again, carrying that enthusiasm with me, making it the best possible experience I could for myself.”

When she was first asked to join the Foundation Board of Trustees in 2014, Woodworth thought immediately of a quote that had hung in her father’s office: “Find a way to do it, not a reason why you can’t.” With that sentiment guiding her, Woodworth chose to join the board, serving a first term from 2014–21 and beginning a second term in July 2022. The experience has reinforced her belief in the value of VMI and the excellent preparation of cadets.

“I see that VMI is doing really good work for this generation and the next,” she stated. “I talk to high schoolers that aren’t going to VMI and are going to VMI, and there’s a distinct difference in the way, even in high school, once you’ve made that decision, you can see the change in people.”

For her fellow alums, Woodworth has a message to share: Get engaged. “If you choose to graduate and stay home, and not engage with VMI, you’re missing a big piece of the VMI experience,” she said. “And so I challenge you to come back, give back, and see what’s waiting for you in the VMI network.”