Never Give Up: Succeeding at Military School, Preparing for Life

Connor Edwards, Missouri Military Academy (MMA) Class of 2024, says he arrived at MMA as a high school sophomore expecting the experience to be like a normal boarding school.

“It’s much more than that,” he says about the quick realization he made after arrival. “At times, when I’d hear reveille in the early morning, I’d think, ‘What did I sign up for?’ I was close to throwing in the towel, but I kept reminding myself to think about the bigger picture.”

Looking back on the experience now, as a new MMA graduate, he says determination got him where he is today – the recipient of a four-year, full-college-tuition Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)* scholarship. In fall 2024, Edwards plans to join the University of North Georgia Corps of Cadets. The University of North Georgia is one of six senior military colleges** (SMCs) in the United States. (Feature photo above, fellow MMA Fusileers Drill Team members take a photo with Edwards, holding his scholarship check, at the national drill team competition in Daytona, Florida, April 2024.)

“Who knows what would have happened if I had stayed home,” Edwards says about choosing to spend three years of high school at MMA. “I came here, and I did it.”

Edwards is part of a small percentage of graduates who leave MMA and enter the military. MMA’s military education model serves young men from diverse backgrounds with varied college and career goals by instilling structure, self-discipline, personal responsibility and accountability.

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MMA President Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret) congratulates Edwards on earning his full-tuition scholarship, May 2024.

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“We are very proud of Cadet Edwards’ achievements,” says MMA President Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret). “He is a resilient and determined young man and an example of how our MMA cadets thrive through our military educational model and 360° Education. His growth has been impressive. Through our core values and high standards, cadets learn to expect more from themselves — and to achieve more.”

Cadets are held to high standards throughout each day and expected to support each other. Edwards describes life at MMA as regimented. Compared to a boarding school without the military structure, MMA involves a lot of physical training (PT) and drill practice, says Edwards. Through drill, cadets move in a uniform, efficient and orderly fashion. Drill instills military bearing, discipline, focus on attention to detail and teamwork. It helps cadets develop pride and a sense of accomplishment.

Getting up early for PT, following a strict schedule each day, mandatory athletics, and learning military bearing — these elements of military school life ask more from high school boys than traditional school environments. According to Edwards, his experience at MMA developed his determination to succeed and helped him rise above other competitors to earn his ROTC college scholarship.

“Earning this scholarship means that I am one of very few in the nation that stood out to the Army. Select few get a four-year scholarship,” he says with pride.

He says that earning the scholarship is not just about the money. With the Army investing in him, he says he will use the education to fulfill his drive to serve and give back to his country.

“Connor’s achieved more than I ever imagined possible,” says his mom Karri Ortiz about his three years at MMA. “I am so grateful. He wouldn’t have gotten this if he had attended a regular school.”

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Edwards and his mom Karri Ortiz during a 2024 family weekend at MMA.

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She says that most people's reaction when she says her son attended military school is to ask, “Aren’t those schools for bad kids?”

“That’s a major misconception,” she says, acknowledging that she has had her own education about military school.

Ortiz says that initially she was not in favor of sending her son to a military school. When he enrolled, Connor was living comfortably at home in Kansas City. “I thought he would see it and change his mind,” she says about the campus tour they took before he enrolled. “But once on campus, I couldn’t deny how excited he was.”

She says they sat with MMA President General Geraci for an hour and asked him every difficult question she could think of.

“I left there and thought maybe I have misunderstood what a military school is,” she says.

Looking back three years after enrolling Connor at MMA, she says the main difference between MMA and the public school that her son attended previously is accountability. She says many kids slip through the cracks in a more traditional school setting.

“MMA is especially good at finding and bringing out what boys are good at,” Ortiz says. “Both academically and developmentally, they hold cadets accountable for their actions and their work. They prepare kids for life.”

At MMA, Edwards was active in the Fusileers drill team, cross country and golf. He says that competing at the national high school drill competition in Daytona, Florida, in April 2023 was one of the most pivotal events during his time at MMA and helped him gain attention from the senior military colleges.

“I networked at Daytona and created relationships,” he says. “And I was doing something I love, spinning a rifle. Without MMA, I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

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Edwards performed a solo rifle exhibition performance at MMA's Maroon & Gold Gala on April 20, 2024.

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That spinning of a rifle is a visual that reminds Ortiz how her son has grown as a leader and a person at MMA.

“The first year, he had trouble holding the rifle, but this year, three years later, at nationals, he was throwing up a triple,” she says, describing his adeptness achieved through his determination and countless hours of practice.

That physical display is indicative of his overall growth, she says, commenting that he can now easily carry a conversation with adults and that he applied for every scholarship and college by himself, with no assistance or prompting from her. She credits the leadership lessons he learned through serving on the cadet battalion staff (he was the Echo Company executive officer during his senior year).

“He’s learned to take initiative, to be his own man,” she says. “Being in a leadership role, it was really good for him.”

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Final Formation on commencement day 2024. During his senior year, Edwards served as a cadet leader, the Echo Company executive officer.

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Edwards says the most important lesson he has learned at MMA is to never quit.

“When I see cadets who say they aren’t coming back next year, I ask them, “What are you going to do at home?’” he says, pointing out that MMA is not always easy, but the structure is worth it. “Here, I always knew what I was going to do next.”

He says it’s like eating vegetables or taking medicine. “Everyone wants to take the easy route, but that’s not good for the long term.”

“Don’t fold. Keep pushing,” he encourages other cadets. “Muster that extra strength because the reward in the end feels so good – the cherry on top of the sundae.”

Ortiz similarly encourages parents. For those who are considering a military school such as MMA, she says to just try it.

“Give it a shot, and then be there for him as a coach and a cheerleader,” she says. “If you stay the course, stay steady and encourage them, they are going to be successful, and you will be so glad that you tried this.”

She acknowledges that it is not always easy, particularly in the first few months.

“He’s going to need you to be there for him in those moments of growth, when he wants to come home,” she says, encouraging parents to show they believe in their cadets. “If he knows you are there for him, it matters. Just being there is huge.”

Both Edwards and Ortiz thank the Academy’s teachers, coaches and staff for their positive impact. Ortiz also credits the peer mentorship that her son benefited from at MMA.

“To the teachers who stepped up to help him, thank you for getting him to this place,” she says, looking forward to her son starting college in the fall.

“Thank you, MMA, for putting in the time, assets and efforts to help me develop as a person. Thank you for holding me accountable,” Edwards says.

Ortiz believes it’s important to prepare children to succeed as contributing members of society. MMA’s 360° Education focuses on that whole person development.

“As a society, we need to prepare kids for what’s next,” she says. “MMA does that very well.”

 

*Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a leadership training and development program that prepares full-time, college-enrolled students for service opportunities in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Space Force.

**SMCs are among the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation and are known for their rigor as they combine the military discipline of a service academy with a traditional college education.