Graduating Bowie State ROTC Cadet Stands Ready to Lead

Corey Fenyo's BSU Experience Inspires Him to Pursue a Social Justice Career

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – As Bowie State University’s commencement day approaches, graduating senior Corey Fenyo laughs a little when he remembers himself as an awkward freshman. Now the ROTC cadet credits BSU with guiding him into adulthood and helping him develop the skills he needs to excel in his career. Next week, the Baltimore native will receive a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and get commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. His experience with the Student Government Association and an internship with a state legislator helped shape his professional aspirations.

“In high school I was very average. Nothing was really interesting enough for me to pursue it,” he said. That changed when he attended New Student Orientation and met student leaders who gave him the insight and motivation to thrive on campus.  

“They gave us so much information about being a Bowie State student that it was almost too good to be true. They were literally giving us everything they had.” Without knowing it, those enthusiastic students planted a seed. Fenyo was eager to pay it forward once he got to campus – serving as president of his residence hall council, becoming a New Student Orientation leader and joining the student government association, where he now serves as vice president.

Outside of campus governing, a recent internship in the Maryland House of Delegates has piqued his interest in politics on a broader scale. During the 2019 session, Fenyo said he learned a lot about the legislative system working with Dereck Davis, chair of House Economic Matters Committee. “I sat in on hearings for bill proposals, from minimum wage to smoking laws and other consumer issues.”

Along the way, Fenyo has developed critical leadership, communications and management skills. He’s collected invaluable life lessons as well. “Student Government Association helped me develop my command presence. Professionalism, discipline and values — ROTC taught me that.”

After graduation, Fenyo will begin his Army career sharing his knowledge and preparing a new group of cadets for success in ROTC at a summer training camp in Fort Knox, Kentucky. His long-term goal is to attend law school and focus on social justice issues.

Looking back on his time at Bowie State, Fenyo believes his collective campus experience is what prepared him for the real world—each opportunity building a solid foundation of maturity, confidence and skill.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.