Alumni Awards & Hall of Fame
The whole core of what MMA stands for is still there, even after the ups and downs of 135 years. I believe in what they are doing.
Chris Gentry ’88
Alumni News
![Missouri Military Academy Interim Commandant of Cadets Major Wayne Welander stands in his military uniform against a backdrop of the American and MMA flags.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1751938431/missourimilitaryacademyorg/d83tlpqm5fg8ioy3isx2/Welander.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1751938431/missourimilitaryacademyorg/d83tlpqm5fg8ioy3isx2/Welander.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1751938431/missourimilitaryacademyorg/d83tlpqm5fg8ioy3isx2/Welander.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1751938431/missourimilitaryacademyorg/d83tlpqm5fg8ioy3isx2/Welander.png","width":1200}])
Missouri Military Academy has designated MAJ Wayne Welander, USA (Ret), to serve as interim commandant of cadets at the college preparatory military boarding school. Currently the senior Army instructor, Welander assumes the commandant’s duties of overseeing residential life, fostering self-discipline, personal responsibility and accountability with the Academy’s middle and high school cadets, guiding them in taking command of their lives.
![Headshot image of MMA employee Rodrigo Padilla. He is wearing an MMA blazer against the backgrop of the American and MMA flags.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1750182293/missourimilitaryacademyorg/hzamlk1xplupriul4tbi/MMANewspostfeatureimage_1.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1750182293/missourimilitaryacademyorg/hzamlk1xplupriul4tbi/MMANewspostfeatureimage_1.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1750182293/missourimilitaryacademyorg/hzamlk1xplupriul4tbi/MMANewspostfeatureimage_1.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1750182293/missourimilitaryacademyorg/hzamlk1xplupriul4tbi/MMANewspostfeatureimage_1.png","width":1200}])
For Rodrigo Padilla, returning to MMA is a chance to give back to the place that helped shape who he is today. An MMA alumnus from the Class of 2015, Padilla now serves as an international student relations specialist, helping young men from around the world navigate their journey to the same Academy that helped define his own path.