Adaptability, perseverance set ROTC student Raymond Kurz on a path to excellence
Many students enter their freshman year of college with an idea – sometimes a firm and well-formed one – of how they intend to focus their undergraduate efforts and what direction they would like to be heading when they graduate.
Raymond Zachary Kurz was no different: He arrived in Oxford from Sugar Grove, Illinois, drawn to the University of Mississippi by excellent academic and ROTC programs – “and you can’t beat SEC football,” he said. He planned to pursue a degree in political science with a minor in Russian, two choices he believed would be beneficial for a career in the Army and working with the U.S. intelligence community.
And, like a lot of students, Kurz found that his ability to adapt and keep moving forward through unanticipated changes would set him on a path to great success – even if not exactly the one he had envisioned. Kurz had applied to both the Russian and Intensive Arabic programs at UM and was accepted into the Russian program; but when the scheduling of Russian classes turned out to be less than optimal, Kurz decided to enroll in Arabic 111 instead.
“Ironically, I later ended up being accepted into the Intensive Arabic program and then the Flagship Program when that came to Ole Miss last year,” Kurz said.
Kurz enjoyed Arabic so much that he made it his major, and it became the area in which he racked up an impressive list of academic achievements, including twice being named the Department of Modern Languages’ Outstanding Student in Arabic; being awarded advanced levels of certification in oral, listening and reading proficiency in national exams – a feat for a relatively new speaker of a foreign language; and this year winning a Taylor Medal, the university’s top academic honor.
Another act of perseverance led to what Kurz referred to as some of his proudest accomplishments and, ultimately, his future career. Kurz had applied for the national Army ROTC scholarship going into his freshman year, and though his application was initially denied, he decided to enroll in Army ROTC regardless. Kurz described feeling at first out of sync with his fellow ROTC members.
Kurz at Sniper Indoc with the Tennessee National Guard’s Sniper Section; also pictured is his friend and fellow Cadet Jacob Isom. Kurz, Cadet Isom and one other guardsmen were the only three to complete the four-day-long course. 
Kurz and fellow cadet Jacob Isom on the 12-mile ruck march during sniper indoc. 
Kurz during the last field training exercise of advanced camp, which is a 37-day commissioning requirement for all Army ROTC cadets.
“On the first day of physical training, I was the only freshman who wasn’t enrolled in the military science class,” Kurz recalled, adding that he did enroll later in the semester.
“As the year progressed, I worked hard, made friends and dedicated myself to the ROTC program. My hard work was recognized when I was awarded Top Cadet for the freshman class.”
In fact, Kurz earned that honor for three years in a row in his respective military science class, which he added to his degree as a minor, along with the competitive-entry intelligence and security studies minor.
“This is my proudest accomplishment by far,” Kurz said. “I went from having no one know who I was in the program to excelling at it.
“Additionally, unlike other academic accomplishments I have received, the Top Cadet is not just academic, but also focuses on leadership potential and commitment to the program. While excelling academically is important to a successful career in the military or any profession, being a leader and being committed to your organization is just as important.”
Kurz was also a 2019 medal recipient from the Military Officers Association of America, and was a team leader of the Ranger Challenge – the varsity sport of the ROTC in which teams train almost every day throughout the semester for the culminating Ranger Challenge competition, an annual, two-day test of mental and physical toughness.
At the Citadel in Amman, during Kurz’s first summer abroad in Jordan. 
Kurz at Wadi Rum, in Jordan, during his first trip to Jordan. 
Kurz at Wadi Rum, Jordan, on a weekend excursion during a summer abroad studying Arabic at the MALIC center in Amman. Wadi Rum is located near the border with Saudi Arabia and is widely considered one of the most beautiful places on earth.
The importance of teamwork and leadership are two major things Kurz will take away from his time at Ole Miss and with the ROTC.
“Each cadre member in ROTC served as an example of what a leader should be to us,” Kurz said.
“They would do anything to help us and, in my instance, Lt. Col. Lindsely helped me greatly by getting my Arabic Flagship capstone year (a year in an Arabic-speaking country) approved. Maj. Davidson has done an excellent job this year, helping us hone our leadership skills, prepare us for commissioning and answering all our questions as our class prepares to become officers.”
After graduation, Kurz will spend his year studying Arabic further in Meknes, Morocco, before commissioning into the Army as a second lieutenant.
“I imagine I will be spending a considerable amount of time overseas, and I look forward to the opportunities and challenges that may present,” Kurz said.
By Katherine Stewart/Ole Miss Theatre & Film
