Scenes of duty, devotion at ROTC Commissioning Ceremony

Jack Martin ’26, a newly minted second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, smiled from ear to ear as he greeted friends and family waiting Wednesday outside of Sanders Theatre. Martin’s parents, David and Sharon Martin, and sister Lila Martin had traveled from New Jersey to support him at the 2026 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Joint Commissioning Ceremony.

“I believe in the ideals of America, and the Constitution as the doctrine that kind of binds those ideals to reality,” said Martin, a philosophy concentrator who will attend Harvard Law School after being selected to be an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. “I can’t think of a greater honor than to commit myself into upholding and defending those ideals.”

Zoe Kim ’26, commissioned Wednesday as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, hugged her parents, Leigh and Glenn Kim, on stage after they pinned gold bar insignias on her shoulders. The Atlanta native, who has been selected for active duty as a Medical Service Corps officer starting in September, described the past four years at Harvard as a “whirlwind” she is grateful to have experienced.

“It’s been a very important part of my growth as a person,” said Kim, a human behavior, biology, and evolution concentrator with a secondary in psychology. “I think I changed a lot, and my confidence grew a lot. I’m very glad to have made it this far, and to be able to serve my country.”

The keynote speaker, retired Lieutenant General Rich Clark, spoke of his 38-year career of service in the U.S. Air Force and emphasized the importance of making the choice to lead every day.

“Leadership is everywhere you go,” Clark, now executive director of the College Football Playoff, told the graduating cadets. “Every step you make, every time you meet someone, you have the chance to live honorably, to lift others, to elevate performance with integrity, humility, and excellence.”

Lt. Gen. Clark also enjoyed a proud dad moment of his own. He and his wife, Amy Clark, got to pin gold bars on the shoulders of their daughter Zoë Clark ’26, now a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, with a little help from son Milo Clark ’24, who is also a second lieutenant. Zoë, a government concentrator with a secondary in global health and health policy, will commission on active duty as a contracting officer this summer.

After the ceremony, 2nd Lt. Adler Schultz ’26 celebrated outside Memorial Hall with his parents, Eric and Akiko Schultz, and brother Leon Schultz. The molecular and cellular biology concentrator is looking forward to putting his academic knowledge to use in the field as an active-duty U.S. Army Medical Service Corps officer.

“Harvard’s flexibility really allowed me to find where I can best serve and focus on that,” said Schultz, a Boston native. “It’s nice that I was mostly able to go into a branch that is related to my field of study. It’s nice to be able to continue to help people.”