RSU ‘GOLD’ Cadets Complete Officer Candidate School, Receive Promotions to 2nd Lieutenant

Three Rogers State University GOLD Program cadets have been promoted to the rank of second lieutenant as graduates of the Officer Candidate School program.

David Defranc-Ponce, Blake Michael Novar and Shailey Evans were promoted in a ceremony held during the Oklahoma Military Academy reunion weekend, Sept. 20-21, at Rogers State University in Claremore.

All three students are in the GOLD (Guard Officer Leadership Development) Program, the premier leadership program for Oklahoma National Guard soldiers attending Rogers State University and have completed Officer Candidate School (OCS). OCS prepares recruits for the challenges of officer life, from managing others to understanding military culture and law.

As Officer Candidate School graduates, the cadets are federally commissioned as second lieutenants, and once they graduate from Rogers State University, they will return to a unit to complete Basic Officer Leadership Course and become fully qualified lieutenants in the field of their choice.

"One of the benefits of being in the GOLD Program is that - in addition to all their other National Guard benefits - they get their dorms and their books covered through the OMA," said SFC Ruben Gonzalez. "Also, once they commission as second lieutenant and graduate (from college), they'll already be platoon leaders in charge of 30 to 40 people, so they're gaining real world management experience from the military at 22 to 24 years of age. That gives them an advantage over their peers in graduating from college."

The cadets come from diverse backgrounds and hometowns.

Cadet David Defranc-Ponce is from Brooklyn, New York, with an Ecuadorian background. He grew up in a military household that would later inspire him to follow the family tradition of joining the military. Originally going in as a Blackhawk Maintainer for the Oklahoma National Guard, he later decided to pursue a career as an officer.

According to Defranc-Ponce, joining the GOLD Program and completing a degree was the next step to his new goal. He will be the first member of his family to become an officer, and after graduating OCS, he will be branching into the Signal Corp.

Originally from Claremore, Blake Novar graduated from Claremore High School in 2016. While in high school, he worked part-time at a fast-food restaurant, and he attended Northeast Technology Center in pursuit of a career in automotive collision repair. This allowed him to find better jobs, but he was laid off during the pandemic.

Subsequently, Novar pursued other jobs and training, eventually joining the Oklahoma Army National Guard. Following basic training in 2023, he enrolled in RSU's GOLD Program and eventually entered OCS, successfully completing the program at the end of summer 2024.

In the fall 2024 semester, Novar returned to RSU to complete his bachelor's degree, and he currently looks forward to a future job in which he utilizes the skills learned in OCS.

Novar says he hopes to "stand out and be able to lead soldiers in a time of crisis."

Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Shailey Evans attended school in Muldrow, Oklahoma. While in high school, she took all AP classes her junior year and was president of several clubs during her senior year. She graduated from high school as a salutatorian of her class, already a sophomore in college. At age 17, she enlisted in the Oklahoma Army National Guard and soon completed her basic training and AIT (Advanced Individual Training).

Being in the National Guard helped Evans pay for college with the goal of attending medical school. After basic training, she worked full-time at Baptist Health Hospital in Fort Smith.

She started college at RSU and began working as an EMT at Pafford EMS, eventually joining the RSU GOLD Program and was placed in a Platoon Sergeant (PSG) position. She completed OCS in the summer of 2024.

Evans hopes to be a cardiovascular surgeon, majoring in medical molecular biology with plans to graduate in 2025.

Combined with an RSU degree, completion of the GOLD Program allows recruits to be a National Guard officer with greatly increased career opportunities as a civilian following their time in the service.

For more information about RSU's GOLD Program, visit www.rsu.edu/gold.

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