Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship recipient
Jacob Baxter is a New Orleans native, growing up right next to Tulane. He attended Holy Name of Jesus and Jesuit High School, a graduate of the class of 2008. Upon completion of Jesuit, Jacob enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he majored in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics. While at the Academy, he enjoyed participating in various academic clubs, playing ultimate frisbee, and taking advantage of the unique summer training opportunities, such as visiting Uzbekistan for language and cultural exchange. Jacob graduated from West Point in 2012 and was awarded the Rotary Ambassadorial Fellowship to study Mathematics at the Australian National University. During his time in Australia, he spoke at multiple clubs including one in Labuan, Malaysia; visited many of Australia’s major cities and rural cities surrounding Canberra; and played ultimate frisbee for the university team. During his time there, he was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Belconnen (9013), where he attended fortnightly meetings, volunteered with their local Trash & Treasure fundraising efforts, and helped barbecue food during their annual charity walk. He completed his fellowship in 2014, graduating with a MSc in Mathematics. Upon completion, Jacob returned to United States to continue his service in the Army, attending the Infantry Basic Officer’s Leader Course at Fort Benning, GA; serving as an Infantry Platoon Leader in the 3rd Cavalary Regiment at Fort Hood, TX; attending the Army’s first Cyber Captain’s Career Course at Fort Gordon, GA; and, now, is a Computer Network Defense Manager for the Army’s sole Cyber Protection Brigade based out of Fort Gordon, GA. Jacob is passionate about and believes in the importance of education, especially civic/ global awareness and technical literacy; a strong, free, and responsible press; and the defense of Democratic institutions. Looking towards the future, Jacob plans to apply the experiences he has been very fortunate to have to make an impact in STEM education and to continue to serve others.