Fort Knox—Balancing on a thin rope 45 feet above solid dirt, he felt his heart race. Although his feet wavered below him, he reminded himself to focus on the obstacle ahead. As he braved the Forest Hills Climbing Center on July 13, 2025, Cadet Lucus Hout, University of Kansas, 1^st Regiment, Basic Camp, smiled. Encouraging words from his fellow Cadet, roommate and friend spliced the tense air and motivated him to keep going.

Support within his platoon has undoubtedly helped Hout succeed in Basic Camp. Having no immediate family in the Army and only one semester of experience under his belt, Hout has not always felt confident in his ability to be a leader during Cadet Summer Training.

“I felt like an imposter,” he said. “I feel like I shouldn’t be the one giving people advice, because I don’t know that much myself.”

Hout is also battling against his shy nature which makes forming connections harder for him. Fortunately, his fellow Cadet and CST roommate, Cadet Grant Clay, University of Toledo, loves to debrief after a long day. These conversations remind Hout that even those he looks to as leaders have room to improve.

“Having somebody that’s done it with me makes it easier to talk about what we enjoy, what made us nervous, what we thought we were good at, what we need to improve on,” he said. “Having those one-on-one talks have definitely helped me grow.”

These conversations not only help Hout identify weaknesses and strengths, but they are also making him a more confident communicator. In admiration of his roommate’s lively spirit, he aims to make people as comfortable as Clay has made him.

“He’s expressive, talkative and very confident. He helped me start talking to new people and be myself,” Hout said about Clay. “Now I don’t hold myself in. People look to me as a leader.”

Clay said he admires Hout’s patience and has become a better listener because of their friendship.

“It’s really helped me be able to look at people from all walks,” he said. “Everybody struggles with different things. Hout taught me being considerate of that is really important.”

The duo is learning from each other. In admiration of the other’s strengths, they are able to identify weaknesses of their own and lean on one another for advice.

Hout has become a voice for his team. From boosting morale with jokes to being the one people go to for advice, Hout is making strides as a confident leader.

“I’m becoming more outspoken and confident about what I do know now,” Hout said. “I really like being the person people can come talk to. Having people go out of their way to ask me for direction feels really good.”

The pair have become stronger leaders, friends, and teammates. Friends that learn from one another keep you grounded, even when things are up in the air.