Erika Ellison has always wanted to serve her country. Still, until she stepped onto the Saint Francis University campus, she thought that would be something she could only do after graduation. That was before she learned about the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program in college, commonly known as ROTC. 

"When I came to Saint Francis, and they had orientation day, I saw the booth and said, why not signup, try it out, and see what it's like," said Ellison, who just finished in the Top-20 percent of her platoon at her 35-day camp.

The camp was at Fort Knox in Kentucky and ran from May 29 to July 4. Advanced Camp is a 35-day training event designed to develop a cadet's critical thinking and problem-solving skills and to forge them into tough, adaptable leaders who can thrive in ambiguous and complex environments. Cadets are evaluated on their ability to lead at the squad and platoon levels, both in garrison and tactical environments. Cadets are mentally and physically tested during a 12-day consequence driven field training exercise that replicates a combat training center rotation. Successful completion of the Advanced Camp is a prerequisite for commissioning.

"We are so proud of Erika for accomplishing her goal this summer," said Saint Francis University women's lacrosse head coach Tracy Coyne. "It has been inspiring to witness her dedication and commitment while completing the rigorous ROTC requirements. It is an unbelievably demanding process."  

Ellison enjoyed the whole camp experience but liked some things she had to do more than others.

"It tested our abilities as a leader and everything that we've learned the past three years, the classroom and through labs with ROTC," said Ellison. "We had to rappel a 70-foot tower, which was fun, and I enjoyed it. But we also had to go into a gas chamber for CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear). That was not so fun." 

Ellison is an accounting major, a member of the Red Flash women's lacrosse team and is also taking classes with the ROTC. Some of the ROTC classes and labs are at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, along with her basic training in Loretto. The results of her ROTC training will result in a minor in military science when she graduates in the spring.

"Erika puts in long hours of training, traveling over 45 minutes away at least once a week along with physically challenging weekend training," said Coyne. "She does it without a complaint." 

Being a student-athlete is tough, but adding the work with the ROTC means that Ellison has a hectic schedule.

"I have a really good support system, and I'm pretty good at time managing, so that helped with studying for classes," said Ellison. "Coach Coyne is understanding, and she's been supportive of me pursuing this because obviously, it's not normal that many people do, especially student-athletes."

In addition, she believes that her teammates are supportive of her time with the ROTC, but she admits that many student-athletes on the team get pulled in different directions.

"They've all been very supportive," said Ellison. "Everyone has something driving them such as academics or other extracurriculars off of the lacrosse field that can be very hard, and by recognizing that I think we're all very supportive of each other."

"Since we first met in fall 2020, Erika has humbly gone about her business," said Coyne. "She has managed her commitments to ROTC, to her academics, and the lacrosse program without skipping a beat. What makes her unique is that she has distinguished herself in each area. A person with Erika's character, drive, and mindset should be representing our country. But instead, she has proven she can handle it with honor. We are thrilled to have her wear both uniforms while attending Saint Francis, that of the United States Army and the Red Flash."

Ellison has appeared in 28 games with 15 starts in her three-year career with 18 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. Last season, she recovered from an early injury to end the season strong, playing in 12 games with eight starts.

"I'm going to be a senior on the women's lacrosse team, and I'm excited," said Ellison. "All the seniors are excited to give all we got and help lead the program in a good direction because I believe we have an excellent chance of making it to the Northeast Conference Tournament this year. We have many exciting times ahead of us, just the team we have now, especially the incoming freshmen."

Around Loretto, someone from Everett is not very far away unless you are Ellison and from Everett in the state of Washington on the other side of the country. Ellison knew she wanted to play college lacrosse, and because the sport was slowly gaining popularity on the West Coast, she decided to join a club team on the East Coast and would spend her summers away from home. Her club team's coaches and director helped Ellison look for colleges, and pretty soon, Saint Francis recruited her at a lacrosse tournament.

"Lacrosse wasn't big out west growing up, but it's still growing," said Ellison. "I would be playing on the East Coast and spend my summers in Ohio and North Carolina. I lived with the awesome program director, Lisa Mitchilides, who took the time to tour colleges with me and take me to lacrosse practices. I found Saint Francis University because I knew I wanted to go to school and play lacrosse on the East Coast."

Ellison grew up in an area a little bigger than Loretto, but part of the rural setting of Saint Francis is part of the charm.

"Saint Francis is much more rural," said Ellison. "I think that's what was appealing about it is that it did remind me a lot of home with the trees and the nature. It is pretty secluded, and it's small. Of course, that's not for everyone, but for me, I like that having the small campus. It makes us feel we're not just a number in a classroom. And then just being surrounded by nature, and that's pretty cool. You won't find a lot of colleges like that, so I knew Saint Francis is definitely where I wanted it to be."

Ellison has been home since the beginning of July, and she is serving as a lacrosse coach to help the sport grow in the state of Washington.

"I'm a coach for my old high school program, and I work with their development groups for fifth to eighth-grade girls," said Ellison. "I do individual private lessons and counseling to help them when they look and are interested in playing college just because we don't have a lot of resources. I've been able to help a few girls who have questions and are unsure what to do."

Ellison is enjoying her last bit of downtime before returning to Loretto for her final year as a student-athlete, but she has a much bigger goal in mind, and it also has to do with her family heritage. If she joins the branch of aviation, Ellison would be her family's fourth generation of pilots.
 
Her great paternal grandfather, grandfather, and great cousin were all pilots for the Royal Canadian Air Force, the first serving in World War I, the latter trained for World War II, and the last flew F18s. On her mother's side, her grandfather, who recently passed, was a Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) 3 US Army Cobra pilot and two-time Distinguished Cross Flyer recipient in the Vietnam War. Her great maternal uncle was also a pilot, and CWO 5 (the highest ranking for the position), who served in Vietnam and the Gulf War.

"My family history was a big reason I wanted to be a pilot and eventually serve my country as well," said Ellison. "The army aviation motto is "above the best," and that is something I have striven to be before joining the military and will now be a mindset to carry beyond the military."

"Quietly, Erika is pursuing her dream because she has a larger purpose in mind, to follow in her family's footsteps," said Coyne. "That's the X factor. That's what drives her through all the ups and downs."

Ellison plans to join the National Guard, which will allow her to continue her family tradition of pilots and give her a chance to use her degree from Saint Francis in accounting. 

"With the National Guard, as I said, my main motivation is to serve domestically to aid in natural disasters or civil disturbances. However, there is always the potential to be mobilized and deployed overseas to help further defend our country or support our allies," said Ellison. "The guard gives the freedom to pursue civilian careers, and that way, I can still apply the degree that I'm earning through St Francis while also committing to the army."

Lacrosse is a team sport and defending our country is also a team effort. Ellison has a lot on her shoulders, but she always looks at the bigger picture.

"I've always wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself," said Ellison. "It takes a team to accomplish everything, and you can't just go at it as an individual."