Ward ’26: A Platform for Success

“I love being here every day.” That’s what Cadet Julia Ward ’26 has to say about her exhaustively busy cadetship as she juggles the demands of being an NCAA athlete, a STEM major, and holding rank in the Corps.

A member of VMI’s women’s water polo team, which necessitates much out-of-state travel while the team is competing, Ward is also an electrical and computer engineering major who wears academic stars. She’s a member of the Pipe and Drum Band, and this year, she’s the Band Company master sergeant. At graduation, she plans to commission in the U.S. Navy.

This would be a full plate for any cadet—but Ward had proven her mettle and drive in high school by accumulating college credits, working to help support her family when her father was between jobs, and serving as the captain of not one but two sports teams.

In recognition of her outstanding leadership potential and willingness to serve her country, Ward was named as a recipient of a General J.H. Binford Peay III 1962 Merit Scholarship, covering the entire cost of her VMI attendance, prior to her rat year. Named in honor of Peay, VMI’s 14th superintendent, the scholarship is awarded to those cadets demonstrating exceptional leadership, academic achievement, athletic commitment, and demonstrated interest in national service.

Growing up in Frankfort, Illinois, Ward knew from an early age that she wanted to serve in the military and considered the federal service academies. As her senior year neared, though, she sensed that cadets are one of the herd at the academies. “VMI was way more personal,” she recalled. In addition, VMI offered her a chance to combine all her interests—water polo, engineering, and commissioning into the military—in a way that other schools did not.

Like any rat, Ward had her share of difficult days, and there were times when a state university closer to home seemed appealing. Even at those times, though, Ward realized that leaving VMI would involve abandoning at least one of her goals.

“I get the privilege of getting to play a Division I sport,” she stated. “I have the privilege of getting to have an engineering degree when I graduate, and I also have the privilege of getting to commission. And I can guarantee you that that wouldn’t happen if I had gone to [a state school]. I would have had to drop something along the way.”

Ward was also able to put her rat year difficulties into perspective. “The challenge of being a rat, the challenge of being at VMI, is so small in comparison to all of the other challenges that you’re going to have when you commission,” she stated. “You kind of put that into perspective, and you really think about it, like, ‘Oh, this isn’t really bad.’”

The esprit de corps that VMI engenders is also a strong motivator, Ward noted. “I think VMI does a good job of bringing you in and showing you that you’re part of something so much bigger than yourself,” she commented. “And that’s kind of what keeps you going, is that if I quit now, I’m letting everyone else around me down. It’s not just about you anymore. It’s about everyone else that’s around you.”

Now, almost midway through her 2nd Class year, Ward is deep into the demands of being an in-season cadet-athlete, and to accomplish her goals, she can’t just tread water academically. “One of the things that I do is just try and work a week in advance,” she stated. “We talk about the three-legged stool at VMI a lot. You know, you have your academics, you have your military, you have your athletics, and they say they’re all equal, but academics really does come on top,” she said.

A culture of excellence among water polo team members has underscored and furthered Ward’s academic drive. “A lot of our upperclassmen wear academic stars, and that’s a pride that we have,” she stated. “So when you push that on, and it gets fostered through a team … it kind of continues to carry on … that kind of set me up for success as a rat.”

Support from members of the VMI family is another factor that Ward says has helped her thrive on post—and for a cadet who’s 14 hours from home, that feeling of connectedness is especially vital. “I will say having the community at VMI is very helpful,” she said. “There’s a lot of resources out here, whether it’s kind of just Lexington in general or just VMI. You know, the people of VMI, they take care of you.”

And even today, Ward is anticipating a time when she can help take care of others. “I have this platform for success because [VMI] gave me this platform for success,” she stated. “And eventually, once I’m of age and of rank or responsibility, and I have all this income coming in, now I’m going to go and give back, which is exactly what I intend to do because it’s helped me out tremendously … I’m very glad in my decision [to attend VMI]. I trusted my gut, and I went for it, and I’m happy every day because of it.”