26 are Distinguished Military Graduates

Twenty-six University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates (DMGs) for the 2026-27 academic year. One of those DMGs is in the top 10 with two in the top 40 out of 5,254 cadets nationally who will commission as second lieutenants in the Army during the 2026-27 academic year.

UNG's DMGs are Pierce Baker, Erik Bakken, Mason Bell, Jason Cooper, Michael Fuchko, Mark Gaultney, Colton Gunter, Charlie Hammock, Savannah Higdon, Jamie Hudson, Dayton Hurst, William Maynard, Grace McGill, Joseph Norwood, John O'Quinn, Harrison Owens, Jasia Pao, Samuel Pennell, William Penney, Nate Rea, Eric Roe, Johnathon Savage, Sylas Sisson, Benjamin Stuart, Cameron Sutton, and Mason Waller.

DMGs are commissioning cadets who finish in the top 20% of Army ROTC graduates on the national Order of Merit List by achieving superior grade-point averages, strong performance in the Army Fitness Test, and proving their worth as exceptional leaders in their college ROTC training. The DMG designation will remain on their Army record throughout their military career.

McGill, a senior from Senoia, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, is the No. 6 cadet nationally commissioning into the Army during this academic year, and Stuart is No. 40. They are the top two cadets in the 6th ROTC Brigade, with UNG holding six of the top 10 spots.

McGill is the brigade commander for UNG's Corps of Cadets and a captain on the nationally ranked women's soccer team. McGill said time management and discipline have helped her be successful with so much on her plate. She encourages others to operate with determination.

"Push past what you think you can do," said McGill, who plans to commission as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps. "And lean on the others around you."

Sisson, a senior from Little Rock, Arkansas, pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies and minors in Russian and interdisciplinary leadership, appreciated the study abroad opportunities he gained in the Corps.

Between his freshman and sophomore years, Sisson studied in Latvia and stayed with a Russian-speaking host family. The next summer, he traveled to the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He excelled enough in Germany that he earned an invitation to a human security conference hosted by the Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes in Gdynia, Poland, in December 2025.

A four-year Army ROTC Scholarship recipient, Sisson plans to commission as an officer in the Infantry Branch.

"Thanks to my experience at UNG, I feel absolutely ready and prepared to lead soldiers," Sisson said.

Bell, a senior from Winder, Georgia, pursuing a degree in marketing, serves as commander of Delta Company. He entered UNG as a member of the Georgia Army National Guard on the Georgia Military Service Scholarship and is hoping to branch into the Logistics Corps of the Guard.

"Originally, the focus was to pay for college, and I just happened to find out that I was good at it," Bell said. "This was always a means to an end until it wasn't."

His leadership style centers on the mutual respect of working with his fellow future officers.

"I put a little bit more trust in them," Bell said. "And they rarely let me down."

Gaultney, a senior from Athens, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity with a minor in computer science, plans to commission as an officer in the Army Corps of Engineers. He said his experience at UNG has transformed his confidence.

"The Corps allowed me to see that I can do hard things and have the mental fortitude to push through them. I discovered that I really can do more than I previously thought," Gaultney said. "You come here and you do these daunting things. And you question if you can really do it. Then the Corps gives you the avenue in which to prove that you can."