ROTC Cadet Adds Pallas Athene Award to Long List of Accolades

U.S. Army Cadet Maj. Aimee Moores, 21, of the University of Virginia Army ROTC Program, has one of this year’s two Pallas Athene Awards from the Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association.

Moores, of Gaithersburg, Md., is a fourth-year mathematics major in the College of Arts & Sciences, as well as the battalion executive officer in her ROTC program.

“I’m certainly very honored to receive it,” Moores said.

Lt. Col. Michael Binetti, Moores’ commanding officer in ROTC, nominated her for the award, calling her “tremendously talented.”

“She is one of the top cadets in the nation and she is a great example for young people, especially young ladies who are considering the military as way to serve their country,” he said.

The award is given annually to the top female Army ROTC cadets in the nation.

“This is a reflection of Cadet Moores’ academic and community involvement as well as her proven leadership traits and mastery of military science studies,” said Mike Johnson of the public affairs office of the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

Moores plans to be a doctor, following in the steps of her parents, who are both physicians and colonels in the U.S. Army. She has been accepted to the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

“It boils down to the love of working with people, the fascination with the subject material, most importantly, the fact that I’ve seen the ins and outs of the medical world through watching my parents and understand just how rewarding the profession can be,” she said.

Moores ranks fourth in the Order of Merit List, which ranks all 5,579 Army cadets in ROTC program across the country. She is joined in the top 10 by fellow U.Va. Cadet Joseph Riley, who was recently named a Rhodes Scholar.

Moores participated in the Ranger Challenge during the fall semester of her first two years of ROTC. As part of a nine-member team, she competed in various military skills against about 40 other schools on the East Coast. U.Va.’s team placed second in the 2010 competition.

“Outside of ROTC, my main commitment is with U.Va.’s Triathlon team, which I joined during my second year,” she said. “I also play violin and viola and I have participated in several of the chamber groups here and in a couple quartet gigs on Grounds and in the Charlottesville area.”

Binetti cited Moores’ humility among the qualities she exhibits to make her a good officer in the Army.

“I’m thrilled that Cadet Moores was selected to receive this tremendous honor,” he said. “She did not know that I submitted her for the award and would likely have told me not to if she knew. Cadet Moores is very deserving of this high level of recognition and will accept it with humility and grace. Her hard work at U.Va. and her dedication to Army ROTC will leave a lasting legacy.”

The award comes with a $500 cash prize, which Moores said she will donate to Army ROTC as her class donation.

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Matt Kelly

Office of University Communications