The New Cadet
A Young Woman’s Journey in a Man’s World
by
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The scene resembled a barbaric medieval execution, where the accused were chained and dragged out while the audience taunted them.
My Fellow Ticks and I were strangers, but we were flimsily bound together by our mutual choice to matriculate into CAF. We were here, not because we were forced to be, but because we chose to be. I knew we’d come to rely heavily upon each other as the year went on; how could we not? People become united against a common enemy and now we had one: the Upperclassmen.
“You’re dead, Ticks. You’re dead!” an Upperclassman yelled.
“You’re going to wish you were never born!” another chimed in.
I briefly glanced at some of my classmates. I was surrounded by males, with only a few females in Band Company. Everyone looked uneasy. I noticed Caroline in the line behind me, and our eyes met. She gave me a half-smile, her face reflected my own feeling of nervousness. I returned the smile and faced forward, questioning my sanity for choosing this college. Did I really know what I’d signed up for?
As the screaming and ranting continued, I stood there shifting from my right leg to my left leg and back again. My anticipation about meeting Cadre grew. An undertone of fear permeated the Tick mass; one could almost taste it. All summer I’d kept my fears about the Tick Line at bay, using pep talks to convince myself that whatever happened, I could handle it. The pep talks were more convincing at home
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About the Book
The New Cadet is a coming of age story about eighteen year old Alicia Randall, who enters The College of Armed Forces, CAF, as the second class of women. During her first year, she is faced with the rigorous challenges of the Tick Line and attempts to juggle her life within the college while staying connected to her old life. When her life outside the school shatters, Alicia begins walking the plank between falling apart and surviving.
What ends up saving Alicia is a new found relationship with a woman, Cathleen, who introduces a variety of books, which expands Alicia’s awareness and puts her on a new path of self discovery and spiritual awareness.
The trials and tribulations from the school extend beyond the Tick Line when Alicia is accused of participating in behavior that is “unbecoming of an officer,” and it takes every last ounce of strength to survive the school she had promised her brother she would never leave.
In using the new concepts Cathleen taught her, it is those ideas that consequently give Alicia the tools for fighting a system and keeping her at a school she conflictingly loves.
About the Author
Destiny Jennifer Ringgold, an ordained Interfaith Minister, from The New Seminary, started her college career as part of the second class of women at Virginia Military Institute. She received her BA from Northern Arizona University in Women Studies. Destiny has a passion for writing, music, spiritual counseling, and energy work. She currently lives in Lansdale, Pennsylvania with her partner Keith Moore and two precious sons, Thorbjoern and Thadeaus.