Graduating Senior Turns a Love for Technology into Service

Accustomed to military structure and discipline from her time in Civil Air Patrol, Tomika Hamilton convinced her son, Tomis, to give life at RMA a try. Although he was hesitant to leave the familiarity of his middle school, friends, and clubs, he wanted a better academic experience. After graduating this spring, Tomis said, “I’ve loved every bit of it! Knowing that the faculty cared about the individual cadets meant a lot to me and attracted me more than anything else.”

During his tenure at RMA, Cadet Hamilton enjoyed and learned from many school activities, including a stint on the national champion Raider team and service as battalion commander, the highest leadership position a cadet can attain.

“I learned that I couldn’t do things on my own and that I would need to rely on others,” he said. The biggest challenge he faced was setting a clear standard for his fellow cadets. “It felt weird to stand in front of almost 300 young men and convey that I was disappointed in them,” he said. Eventually, though, speaking to the cadets became natural, and Hamilton learned how to voice his feelings, expectations, and intentions in a professional manner.

Hamilton has a bright future. The Air Force Academy accepted his application for admittance in Fall ’22, after which he plans to work in cyber security as a Cyberspace Operator. He received the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, awarded to only 250 students nationwide who plan to major in engineering or computer science. The scholarship includes $40,000 for college and a paid internship during the summer of his freshman year. Hamilton earned a CompTIA Security+ certificate as a result of taking Cyber Security classes at RMA, which assisted him in winning the Amazon scholarship.

“I hope to make a difference in protecting our assets and individual freedoms,” Hamilton said.