Abebrese ’27: “Better by One Percent”

To many, VMI is a leadership lab—a meticulously structured organization that guides each cadet through the process of reaching their full potential. It’s a noble cause, to be certain, but such verbiage rarely does the Institute’s mission justice.

To Cadet Ebenezer Abebrese ’27, VMI is a furnace. It’s intimidating. It’s unrelenting. And, within the confines of its secretive flames, it molds you into something entirely new.

Having spent the majority of his childhood between Manhattan and his parents’ native country, Ghana, Abebrese had next to no knowledge of the Institute before he applied. In fact, when he first looked into VMI at the suggestion of a fellow member of his high school JROTC program, his first instinct was to search for universities with less intense first years.

In the end, the character-defining challenge of the Institute won out. “I realized that if I was going to become the person I wanted to be in the future, that was something I needed to go through,” he explained.

All cadets, prospective and inducted, have a driving force—that little voice in the back of their minds that pushes them toward their purpose. For Abebrese, the youngest of three, it was the conversation he had with his mother when he was only 8 years old. “I actually promised her she wouldn’t have to pay a dime for college. And I wanted to make good on that promise.”

And so when Abrebrese decided that VMI was the place for him, he knew he had to find a way to make ends meet. Prior to matriculating, he secured an Army ROTC scholarship that would cover part of the cost of attending VMI.

He knew that the Call to Duty Scholarship, though, would cover the cost of his room and board, and when he received it, it seemed like the answer to all of his and his family’s prayers. Deemed a game-changer by the VMI Office of Admissions, the Call to Duty Scholarships pay room and board fees for selected cadets already holding federal ROTC scholarships, making the Institute a highly competitive choice for families. In the 2025–26 academic year, more than 180 cadets held such scholarships.

Now an international studies major, the once-timid Abrebrese is making the most of his time at VMI. “Last year, I had the opportunity to be a cadre corporal and councilman of Promaji. This year, my class, by God’s grace, elected me to cadet government, and I’m truly humbled by that. … Rat me would not even recognize who I am today. Really, it’s a complete 180.”

Of course, that kind of change doesn’t come from nowhere, and Abrebrese credits his VMI lifestyle to his dyke. “We came from similar backgrounds … and he made something of himself. … [When I was a rat] I remember thinking I wanted to be just like him. … He told me he wanted me to be greater than him, so I’ve just been trying … to put myself out there and make sure I’m being better, even by one percent, every single day. … I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Upon graduating, Abrebrese plans to commission into the U.S. Army.