‘Resilient’ SC State ROTC grad sets sights on military travel
2nd Lt. Juelle King, center, proudly displays her Army commission certificate during the Bulldog Battalion’s December commissioning ceremony at SC State. Also pictured are Lt. Col. Kimberly Pringle, who served as the occasion’s keynote speaker, and Lt. Col. Antonio M. Pittman, SC State professor of military science. Photo by Keith Gilliard/SC State University Relations & Marketing.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Juella T. King arrived at South Carolina State University as a student-athlete. She left as an honors graduate and a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
“I was running track at first, but I had a serious injury,” King said. “I thought everything was defeated, but then I met Col. (Antonio) Pittman (SC State professor of military science), and he told me I could join the Army and still play sports and work out every day.
“I fell in love with the physical fitness – the PT part of it – and then going to advanced camp, I met more people just like me who played sports and still do the military. I thought, ‘Yeah, this is for me.’”
The Sumter, South Carolina resident joined the SC State Army ROTC Bulldog Battalion in her sophomore year. Along with her commitment to her officer training requirements, King was steadfast in her studies. She graduated magna cum laude with an undergraduate degree in family and consumer sciences with a concentration in child development in December and received her active-duty commission.
“It has been very challenging for me,” she said, “but it has allowed me to become very resilient, so I love this.
“The support from the battalion has been amazing in the classroom and outside the classroom,” King said. “Oftentimes, when you are in an academic classroom, you struggle, but the type of colonel we have, we were able to go to him and talk about our problems and get help.”
Having received an active-duty commission, King plans to make the Army a career. She has her mind on seeing the world with a particular interest in getting stationed in South Korea. She also wants to buy land along the way.
“I want to do at least 20 years because I want to own at least five, six, or seven properties,” King said. “I want to build several large businesses.”
King was one of six SC State graduates who received their commissions in December. The others were:
- 2nd Lt. Khi Ahmad Baker, Columbia, South Carolina, reserve commission, B.S. in physical activity management.
- 2nd Lt. Antwann Gregory Huggins Jr., Miami, Florida, reserve commission, B.S. in computer science.
- 2nd Lt. DeSharah Carmella Israel, Columbia, B.S. in family and consumer sciences business.
- 2nd Lt. Zedisha Mareil Littlejohn, Spartanburg, South Carolina, National Guard commission, B.S. in criminal justice.
- 2nd Lt. Quinshawn Roosevelt Norwood, Columbia, active duty, B.S. in criminal justice.
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About South Carolina State University
Founded in 1896 as a land grant institution with a mission of providing service to
the citizens of the state, South Carolina State University has evolved from a small
teachers’ college into a major University center of learning and research. Located
in Orangeburg, S.C., South Carolina State offers more than 50 different fields of
study on the undergraduate and graduate levels. South Carolina State University is
accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of
the Council of Graduate Schools.