By Leah Sander
Staff Writer
ROCHESTER — Wesley Steininger is getting his college tuition paid for thanks to an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship.
The Rochester High School senior has a four-year award for Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
He plans to study electrical engineering and computer engineering, “perhaps adding on a double major in computer science and then minoring in engineering and business,” he said.
Following graduation, he will be a second lieutenant and have to do either eight years in the Army Reserves or four in the Reserves and four on active duty.
Steininger, the son of Matt and Jenny Steininger of Rochester, said he has considered going into the military since his sophomore year.
His girlfriend’s father, who went to West Point, talked with him at the close of his junior year about joining the military. He learned of the scholarship and applied in fall 2023, first getting a three-year ROTC award.
Wesley said a Vanderbilt representative helped him get upgraded to a four-year scholarship.
With his deciding to attend Vanderbilt on the scholarship, Wesley declined the 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship he’d originally received. That award was given instead to runner-up Addison Zimpleman.
Vanderbilt is covering half of Wesley’s room and board while he’s in college. The summer before his senior year, he’ll be required to do training at Fort Knox in Kentucky.
Wesley’s post-graduate plans also include him hopefully owning an engineering firm. He said engineering teacher, Joel Lowe, has been his favorite educator at RHS.
“Mr. Lowe’s engineering program has really kind of made me consider the option of engineering and settle on it along with when I took the physics class last year I really enjoyed that, did well at it,” said Wesley. “All of the math classes I have enjoyed.”
His extracurricular activities at RHS have included four years of swimming and cross country, three years of track and a year of baseball.
Wesley was student council president for his particular class for three years and has been involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
He called getting the ROTC scholarship “a huge honor.” Wesley noted his classmates, Tanner Reese and Alex Deming, also have received ROTC scholarships.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve done. I know we can kind of show what Rochester is capable of via the characteristics, the character that we have, the hard work and the mental toughness,” said Wesley. “I’m really thankful for the community and what they’ve done for me and for all of us.”
