Fort Knox, KY. – Bullet casings soar through the air as the Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, zero their M4 Carbine assault rifles. During group and zero, Cadets work to gain an understanding of their weapon systems while learning to adjust on the fly.

For Cadet Buyuna Carter, Jackson State University, today wasn’t her first time shooting on the range. Cadre at her home program make a conscious effort to prepare everyone for Cadet Summer Training (CST).

Specifically, Carter mentioned how some of the newer leadership in her program changed her perspective and work ethic for the better.

“This past year, in the spring of 2026, we got a new Master Sergeant. Master Sergeant Donald Costello,” Carter explained, “Some Cadre just let you and other peers talk about it, he helped you and took out the time to break down the information.”

Costello quickly became an inspiration to Carter, showing her the importance of the small details that otherwise may go unnoticed.

Seeing how her Cadre cared about the community inside of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), Carter found motivation to go out and make the change she wants to see in the world.

This led her to leadership positions in organizations all around her campus, like the Operation Branch of the Campus Activity Board or being a part of the recently instated chapter of the Student Veterans of America at her school.

More notably, she works in a program called Blue Streak Mentors. This program works to provide mentors for future freshmen going into university, providing resources and assistance to anyone needing a helping hand.

With a strong foundation built in her community, and a great deal of experience gained from her mentor at her program, Carter was in the best position to head out to CST.

Right before she would set out for Fort Knox, Carter experienced something unexpected.

“My dad had passed two weeks before I got here,” Carter explained.

With so much to think about between the loss of her father, family arrangements, and whether she would still go through CST, the decision was difficult.

While working through everything that had happened, Carter thought back to the best parts of her father.

Carter said, “Every time he saw me, he always knew that I was different. He always wanted better for me.”

Describing her dad as a quiet, caring soul who would hold in a lot, Carter quickly understood why her care for others ran so deep. She saw her father suffering in silence and wanted to prevent anyone from feeling that way again.

“With my peers here, if I see something wrong with them, I ask if they’re okay,” she explained, “I know I can handle it and I want to be there for other people.”

After deciding to continue forward with CST, Carter holds the memory of her father as a source of motivation, hoping to help those around her.