Meet the Leadership
Devin Auzenne ’26 | Maximus Ankrah ’26 | Grant Rose ’26
Devin Auzenne ’26, Regimental Commander
“VMI only gives you two things—a Rat Bible and an opportunity,” wrote Cadet Devin Auzenne ’26 in the New Cadet Handbook to the Rat Mass of 2026+3.
Making the most of that opportunity has been Auzenne’s goal since he set foot on post, and now, as 2025–26 VMI regimental commander, he wants to lead the Corps to do the same. Choosing VMI for its challenge, tradition, and transformation, Auzenne spent the last 3 years fully embracing the experience. Now, in his 1st Class year, Auzenne is excited to give back through purpose-driven leadership and ensure every cadet has the same challenges and chances to grow.
When he received his U.S. Marine Corps ROTC scholarship, Auzenne began looking at schools with strong ROTC programs that would prepare him to commission after graduation. From the time he discovered VMI through a YouTube video, he thought, “This is the place for me.” Attending an open house during the spring of his senior year of high school sealed the deal.
As an aspiring history major, Auzenne was drawn to VMI’s well-regarded history department and by the tradition and history of the Institute itself. He also had heard stories of the alumni network and how alums were transformed by their experiences, and he wanted that transformation in his own life.
Hailing from Opelousas, Louisiana, Auzenne recalls the excitement of Matriculation Day and the moment he saw Blake Smith ’23, then-regimental commander, and resolved to become the same kind of leader one day. “As a rat, being regimental commander and pursuing rank within a regimental system going into 1st Class was something I really wanted, but I could never have pictured myself seriously being [regimental commander],” said Auzenne.
A history major wearing academic stars, Auzenne strives to remain 100% committed to every aspect of his cadetship. Learning to balance it all has been a challenge, but it has been more than worth it. In addition to participating in boxing and jiu-jitsu, Auzenne has served in leadership roles throughout his cadetship, progressing from Company G 4th Class private, to 3rd Class cadre corporal, to 2nd Class regimental sergeant major. “I have grown and matured a lot—not only as a person, but as a leader,” said Auzenne. “VMI has really taught me confidence as a leader. It’s taught me how to be decisive. It’s taught me how to wear my own skin a lot more confidently, how to walk into a place and have a commanding presence.”
To Auzenne, leadership also entails living out the VMI Honor Code in a holistic manner—in a practical manner and in spirit. “It’s ingrained in us from day one that a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do,” said Auzenne. “[The Honor Code] is also being there for your people; it’s doing the right thing when no one’s looking.”
Each role in his leadership progression, especially regimental sergeant major, has prepared Auzenne and prompted him to consider how he wants to lead as regimental commander. “Working with the regimental commander and regimental executive officer [2nd Class] year, I got to kind of look behind the curtain of how VMI runs and learn all the things it takes to make it run smoothly,” said Auzenne.
In preparing to lead the entire Corps his 1st Class year, Auzenne relied on the lessons he’d learned over the past 3 years, outlining a strategic framework for the Corps focused on peer accountability, passing guidance, and cadet leader empowerment. Peer accountability means ensuring every cadet, regardless of rank, holds each other accountable with the conviction that “each and every person is the face of VMI.” Passing guidance refers to the effective and timely communication of leadership operations and guidance across Corps leadership. Last is cadet leader empowerment, which he explained as encouraging cadets to voice concerns and make a difference at VMI.
His enthusiasm for his new role is palpable, and it flows from the energy of the Corps—especially his fellow 1st Class cadets holding rank or command positions. “They really care deeply about VMI, and [they’ve] really bought into the VMI system,” said Auzenne. Now, the 1st Class leadership is energized and equipped to make a powerful and positive difference. “It just gets people fired up, especially to be able to work with each other because this truly is a special place with special people.”
This ability to begin giving back to the Institute through leadership is important to Auzenne because of what it represents: Opportunity, transformation, and a Corps shaped by the Honor Code. “VMI is one of those places that has so much to offer you that not taking that opportunity would be just leaving, like leaving money, leaving cards on the table,” said Auzenne. “The people who come here—they want to be all that they can be.” He wants to give back to ensure the cadets following him are prepared to lead, just as he is “because at the end of the day, people come here because they want to be leaders.”
The Class of 2026 motto is “earned, never given,” and this has been the regimental and Honor Court systems’ commitment for the upcoming year. Through training and standards, they aim to ensure that cadets earn everything they receive in terms of privileges and success at VMI. This conviction is what prompted Auzenne to write that note to the incoming rats. This chance to seize an opportunity to grow, Auzenne elaborated, is what makes VMI special to him: “That’s one of the things I really love about VMI. It gives you all the tools, but it’s up to you to see what you’re going to do with them.”
Maximus Ankrah ’26, Class President
“I want to uplift others. I want to heal others, and I want to motivate others that they are way more capable than they think they are. So if I have the opportunity to do that, I’m going to do so.” That’s what Maximus “Max” Ankrah ’26 says about the internal drive that powers his VMI cadetship—and his leadership as both 2025–26 General Committee president and Class of 2026 president, the latter position being one he’ll hold for a lifetime. Heading into his 1st Class year, Ankrah is honored to lead his brother rats and excited for his future as an intelligence or medical corps officer in the U.S. Air Force.
The child of parents who immigrated to the United States from Ghana as teenagers and met while stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where they were both serving in the military, Ankrah found himself drawn to military schools when the time came to choose a college. He was still considering his options when, in summer 2021, his family took a life-changing trip, traveling to Ghana to visit his grandparents.
“I still remember vividly, there were these kids right across the street from my grandma’s house, and they practically had nothing compared to me,” Ankrah stated. “These were the happiest kids I’ve ever seen. Like little to no clothing, no kitchen. They stayed in one room. It was a single mother of seven kids, and again, they were the happiest kids I’d ever seen. So coming back, I felt this dissonance because I felt bad that I was being ungrateful for what I had.”
For Ankrah, that unsettled feeling became a motivation to live differently. “That was more so a reason why I’m doing everything at VMI,” he explained. “I got to see what little people had, and they made it such a big deal, and I had pretty much everything at hand, and I didn’t make the most of it. Coming to VMI, that’s something I kind of promised myself—that any opportunities that came my way, I was going to take, and I was going to do the very best with them.”
Back on U.S. soil, it was time to choose a college. After attending an open house at VMI during his senior year of high school, Ankrah knew he’d found his perfect fit.
“Just seeing how everyone got along, seeing how people could just go in people’s rooms and just talk to each other—it was just a different type of bond that you just can’t get anywhere else,” said Ankrah of the factors drawing him to VMI. “I saw the other opportunities as well, to be able to commission in the Air Force. So that was the biggest thing for me: To be able to commission and to be able to just have a clean slate and start over and just build myself up.”
As a rat, Ankrah used his experience in Ghana and the advice of alumni to propel himself forward. “I would say, of course, the Rat Line isn’t fun. … It’s not the most pleasant experience. But with that, I remember I got some advice from alumni—don’t take things personally. And also, again, going to Ghana and seeing what people don’t have compared to what I do have. I have food. I have water. I have a place to stay. I have people who are yelling at me, but they clearly want me to succeed.”
After Breakout, Ankrah dove more deeply into his major—biology—and began to take advantage of all VMI has to offer. In addition to his Corps and class leadership positions, he’s a cadet EMT and assistant cadet in charge of the Aviation Club. As a 3rd Class cadet, he was a cadre corporal for Company C, and last year, as a 2nd Class cadet, a cadre sergeant.
As his responsibilities have increased, Ankrah has begun to notice a change in himself. “The transformation from being a rat to 1st Class has been pretty dramatic,” he noted. “I would say one thing I’ve noticed is just confidence—confidence in myself. I feel like once you’ve known you’ve done hard things, it kind of just brings the strength in you that you could do anything that you set your mind to. … And not just confidence, but I would just say social skills, being able to really interact with people.”
As he begins his 1st Class year, Ankrah is well aware of the responsibility he carries. “My brother rats of 2026 trusted me enough to lead them to whatever goal we may have,” he stated. “So that on its own is just the biggest honor. I remember getting elected, and it was a pretty amazing feeling. It’s something you can’t really describe but just having so much love and so much support from your brother rats that they trust you to lead them—it’s amazing.”
Chief among Ankrah’s goals for his 1st Class year is ensuring that his class runs a well-disciplined Rat Line for the Rat Mass of 2026+3, and he plans to do so by emulating the model his class experienced when they were rats. “Something [the Class of 2023 president] did really well was bringing everyone together, no matter where we were from, from different backgrounds, from all different walks of life,” he noted.
Intangibles, too, are of concern to Ankrah—a unifying pride that comes from knowing you and others are doing the right things for the right reasons. “We need to make sure we’re instilling conduct within the Corps of Cadets so we can generally have that VMI spirit, and we can genuinely say, ‘I’m proud to go to VMI,’ and walk in integrity in everything we do.”
To run a successful Rat Line, Ankrah plans to draw on the fact that most rats want to do well. “The people who come to VMI, they’re already motivated, so it’s more just making sure you grab that part of them that’s motivated and wants to be here, and just hyping them up, motivating them,” he commented. “Being motivational—I’m a big fan of quotes and all that, so I try to use those as much as I can … getting that warrior ethos out of them.”
He’s also planning to appreciate his last year on post. “This place has blessed me with so much, not just with my friends, not just with leadership opportunities, of course, but just being able to say that I go to VMI—like having that pride that many alumni have come through and they’re successful in whatever field they’re in,” he said. “Whether it’s the civilian sector or the military, they’re doing well. I want to be part of that group. I want to be able to say that I took the hard route, and I did it to the best of my ability.”
Grant Rose ’26, Honor Court President
On his first day of the Rat Line, Cadet Grant Rose ’26 learned that the VMI Honor Code is intrinsic to VMI. Back then, however, he couldn’t have imagined he would one day have the pivotal responsibility of leading its enforcement as Honor Court president.
Every part of Matriculation Week was an education on the Honor Code—yelling it during physical training, reciting it throughout the day, and meeting with Honor Court members. The effect was a foundation built in Rose and his brother rats. “Everything you’re doing, you’re screaming the Honor Code. From that point on, the first day you show up, you know the Honor Code. It’s something you begin to live by,” said Rose.
As president, Rose’s goals for the Honor Court are foremost to educate the incoming Rat Mass of 2026+3 on the Honor Code and the spirit of it, just as he and his brother rats were educated. “We want the incoming Rat Mass to know what the Honor Code is, how to live by the Honor Code, and how to live within the spirit of the system—the spirit of the code itself.” The second major goal is to continue the education of the rest of the Corps, ensuring cadets are living and leading honorably.
Matriculating from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Rose had not heard of VMI until his brother, Luke Rose ’24, decided to attend. “He had a bunch of stories,” said Rose. “And he kept telling me I would only understand the stories if I went to VMI.” By the time it was Rose’s turn to choose a college, he was convinced of two things: He wanted to serve, and he wanted to see for himself what all of his brother’s stories were about.
Raised in a military family with a rich history of service, including his father and eldest brother, Rose, too, felt called to serve his nation. He applied for and was awarded a 3-year U.S. Army ROTC scholarship and plans to commission after graduation.
This calling began with military service and naturally extended to leading in the Corps, eventually guiding him toward his current position. “VMI is unique in the leadership opportunities it has—everywhere you look around on post, there’s a leadership role that you could fulfill,” said Rose. He embraced every opportunity for growth as a person and as a future Army officer, serving as a Company I corporal his 3rd Class year, Company I first sergeant his 2nd Class year, and as Honor Court assistant prosecutor both years. Today, along with his position as Honor Court president, Rose is also the Company I commander.
Despite Rose’s full plate, he also found time for yet another area of leadership as the Cadet Investment Group president in the spring of his 2nd Class year. As an economics and business major, his penchant for investment and responsibility combined perfectly in the CIG, a cadet-led organization of approximately 30-40 members that makes real financial decisions regarding investments worth around $200,000 in total.
With his robust resume, it seems natural that Rose would be the leader for the job as Honor Court president, but he says being named in the running at all, much less as president, left him “shocked.” The role of Honor Court president means upholding the very foundation of the VMI system, and that weight of responsibility can be intimidating, but Rose manages it all through the support of his brother rats and the leadership around him and through his committed belief in the honor system. “Being the Honor Court president is, of course, daunting, in a sense, but I couldn’t be more thankful for the team that I have behind me,” said Rose. Being a part of a flourishing honor system and educating cadets about it energizes him. “This system is thriving, and people are always wanting to know what they’re allowed to do, what they’re not allowed to do, the rights and wrongs, and [they are] always asking questions about the system itself,” said Rose.
“All the little factors that go into the Honor Code: It’s not just words written on a page, but it’s an actual system that people live by. There’s a spirit behind it,” Rose elaborated. He values both the practical side of the Honor Code—like cadets being able to leave items unattended—and the personal growth that comes from living as accountable leaders. “The Honor Code is alive and well. People here and the cadets here live by the Honor Code; regardless of whether you wear rank, you’re a leader in the Corps,” said Rose.
Looking back at his VMI experience going into his final year, Rose is grateful for significant personal growth during his time at the Institute and for the leader he will be after graduation. “I’ve changed a lot since I came to VMI; it’s pretty crazy to look back at myself when I was a rat,” Rose reflected. “Seeing how much I’ve grown as an individual and seeing how much my BRs have grown is awesome. It’s awesome to see that VMI is working, and the leadership opportunities do work to make people better leaders and better men and women of character.”
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