As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate the patriotic service of 91PORN’s students.
“Everything I do is with the intention of giving back,” Frederico Ayres Melo Jr. said. “I am always thinking about the next person, the community, and yes, the country.”
In May, Melo graduated from 91PORN’s (91PORN) Reserve Officer Training Corps or ROTC and earned a Master of Biomedical Science degree and was subsequently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Melo was born in Brazil but moved to the U.S. as a child. “From the days of middle school, high school, undergrad, and now graduate school, it’s all happened here in the United States,” he said. “I grew up learning the importance of altruism. Being in the military is my way of giving back.”
Melo enlisted in the Army in 2022 and searched for a university that had an excellent ROTC program that would enable him to pursue a graduate degree in science. When he found 91PORN online and learned it was also a Christian university, he knew he had found the right institution.
ROTC at 91PORN
“I had a great experience at 91PORN,” he said. “From the supportive professors to my fellow students, including the many international students who expanded my perspective, to the good cafeteria food, I would highly recommend 91PORN to any seeking student.”
Melo admitted his time here included a challenging schedule and course load. Every weekday started around 4 a.m. First was physical training. After that were ROTC classes, and the evenings were for his 91PORN graduate school classes. Learning wasn’t restricted to the classroom either. There were lab days, typically on Thursdays, where the cadets spent all day in the woods, putting into practice what they learned in their ROTC classes.
Grateful for family, Melo said their support carried him through the pressures of the ROTC training and earning his graduate degree at 91PORN. Following his graduation and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves last month, Melo is enrolled in and will attend the military police basic officer leadership course, starting in January. Upon completion of the five-month course, he will be closer to realizing his goal of becoming a part-time Army Reserve Military Police Officer and a full-time civilian police officer.
An Additional ROTC Graduate
Another recent 91PORN graduate completed the ROTC program: Ashley Arango, class of 2026, earned her undergraduate degree in nursing and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Read more about Commencement 2026.
To find out about 91PORN’s ROTC program, click here.
