When Lorin Carter enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Jan. 21, 2025, she was given one job: Excel in her studies as a civil engineering major at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System. The UAH junior was already highly qualified for the position; her academic record helped her stand out when she applied for the Navy’s Civil Engineering Corps Collegiate Program (CEC).
“My dad inspired me to always challenge myself and to pursue big things,” Carter said, describing her decision at her enlistment ceremony. “Seeing his career in the Army has always made me want to join the military and make him proud.”
Carter’s family connections to the military are strong. Along with her father, Army Maj. Joseph Carter, there’s also her twin sister, UAH information systems major Sarah Carter, who is in Army ROTC. They attended the ceremony along with her mother, Virginia Carter, a nurse, and her grandparents. Her grandfather retired from the Army. Lorin was in Army ROTC with Sarah for a little while but never contracted.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Rogers, right, swears in Lorin Carter on Jan. 21, 2025. Carter was accepted to the Navy’s Civil Engineering Corps Collegiate Program. The University of Alabama in Huntsville junior will receive active duty salary and benefits while finishing her degree in civil engineering.
Michael Mercier | UAH
“I was originally going to go in the Army,” she said, “but the Navy offered better opportunities for Navy civil engineering.”
Along with her studies and membership in the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Carter is a member of the UAH Cycling Club.
Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Rogers, who came to campus to swear her in, described CEC program benefits:
“Lorin is UAH’s first Civil Engineer Corps collegiate since I’ve been here, and she’s the only one active as of now,” he said. “There are several collegiate programs in the Navy, and they all provide an active duty salary and benefits while finishing your college degree.”
Carter won’t go to boot camp, he said, and she won’t own a uniform until she graduates in May 2026.
University of Alabama in Huntsville students Lorin Carter, right, and her twin sister, Sarah Carter, both have military careers in their future: Lorin in the U.S. Navy, and Sarah in the U.S. Army.
Michael Mercier | UAH
“She has no real responsibilities with the Navy other than to be a full-time student and maintain her grades, and then she’ll start training after she graduates. All her time in college counts towards her retirement and her steps in pay.”
Along with helping Carter reach her career goals, the collegiate program attracts outstanding officer candidates to the Navy. Rogers pointed out that the quality of Carter’s application put her on a fast track through the Navy’s system.
“Her tests plus her overall application package and her interview with the CEC officer, all those were off the charts,” he said, “and that set her up to do this immediate selection. Typically, a Civil Engineer Corps collegiate will have to wait for a selection board, which only happens once a quarter, but because her application was so stellar, she didn’t have to wait for that. Once her application got to the program manager, it took him a couple hours to review, and he said, ‘Yeah, this is an easy one.’”
Rogers noted that Carter was the first candidate in the country to be chosen through the Navy’s new immediate selection process for the Civil Engineer Corps.
Along with the CEC program, other Navy collegiate offerings include Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC), Nuclear Power Instructor/Naval Reactors Engineer, Health Services Collegiate Program (HSCP), Nurse Candidate Program (NCP) and Health Profession Scholarship Program (HPSP).
The UAH Office of Military and Veterans Programs is available to help students interested in joining the military. For more information, visit uah.edu/mvp.