Rhiannon Ladwig ’13 celebrated her promotion to Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy by returning to Linfield College for a pinning ceremoney with Eric Schuck, professor of economics.
Ladwig, who graduated with a bachelor’s in economics and business management, says Schuck was instrumental in her decision to pursue a Navy career. In addition to being a Linfield faculty member, Schuck is a commanding officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and leads a Pacific Fleet Logistics Readiness Center.
“My eyes were really opened to the capability and opportunity of a military career during January Term Study Abroad to Hawaii,” she explains. “Professor Schuck was the lead and we spent a month in the beautiful islands of Hawaii and Oahu, where we studied economic development of Japan and Hawaii and the economic lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.”
After graduation, she applied to the Navy Supply Corps, went to Officer Candidate School and was commissioned in 2014. She has been deployed overseas on the USS O’Kane guided-missile destroyer and is currently stationed in Bremerton, Washington.
Watching alumni succeed after Linfield is one of the greatest joys of teaching, Schuck says.
“It’s doubly special with Rhiannon because she’s both an amazing alumna and also a stellar naval officer,” he says.
– Christian Feuerstein
