Danielle Tapia has wanted to be a doctor since high school.
But instead of paying expensive medical school fees after her undergraduate degree is finished, she decided that she will join the Navy.
“The Navy has the best medical program,” said Tapia, a sophomore chemistry major at Westminster College. “I considered the Marines, but they don’t have a medical program.”
After being part of her high school Junior Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Tapia entered college and joined the U’s Navy ROTC program.
Tapia said because she was the only woman in her class she was occasionally teased, but now feels like part of the group.
“Sometimes guys will tell you that you don’t belong, but they just want to see how you’ll react,” she said.
Although Tapia has adjusted to life in the ROTC program, she is one of few women in her class.
Primarily a male-dominated program, the current freshman Navy ROTC class has seven women. Of the estimated 67 Navy ROTC students, only 10 are women.
But despite the dominant male presence, women in the program face few hardships from gender.
“Women are called ladies in the Navy,” said Karina Soriano, a freshman linguistics major in the program. “Female is considered derogatory.”
All Navy ROTC members are known as midshipmen. They are classed as 4th, 3rd, 2nd or 1st years, with 4th class designated as a freshman and 1st class being a senior.
An average week for Tapia and Soriano begins Monday at 5:50 a.m. with physical training. Each midshipman is on a team that trains every week and runs from the Naval Science building to the soccer fields twice a week. Navy recruits are required to take a physical fitness test every semester that includes a one-and-a-half-mile-run, push-ups, sit-ups and crunches.
Soriano said women don’t have to run as fast or complete as many physical requirements as men.
Navy recruits in the program are also required to log 15 hours of study time.
On Thursdays, students are required to attend labs and dress in full uniform.
Women must use modest or natural make up, and have their hair in a bun or short enough so that it doesn’t touch their collar and is out of their faces, Tapia said.
They cannot wear tank tops, flip-flops, short shorts or have unnatural hair colors, she said. Men must be clean-shaven with short hair.
Tapia is the only recruit from her class to hold a staff position. She is the communications officer for her unit and responsible for keeping the battalion up to date.
Each midshipman is bound by an eight-year post-college time commitment. They have their freshman year to try out the program and decide whether or not to commit to four years.
Four of the eight years must be spent in active duty, which means signing a contract and belonging to the military. The other four years are spent on reserve, which is an on-call position that allows the Navy to call upon members to serve.
“Most people are surprised when they find out we are in the Navy,” said Soriano about herself and Tapia.
The military welcomes women and encourages their participation in all branches, but there are still some restrictions. Women are not allowed onto submarines, with the exception of female contractors who are doing work on the underwater crafts.
The Navy is building a new class of submarines to accommodate women, Tapia said.
Tapia said despite being one of few women in the Navy ROTC program, she doesn’t feel different from other midshipmen in her class.
“I am just a naval officer,” she said.
Tyler CobbVictoria Swan, Melinda Peiffer, Cassie Mulkey, Dani Tapia, Karina Soriano and Holly Trowbridge are a few of the women in the ROTC program at the U.