2LT Isabella Sullivan, ‘24

Isabella is a native of San Antonio, TX, an International History major, a highly decorated leader, and a recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship. As a plebe, Bella was immediately drawn to the Center’s rich programming due to her primary intellectual interest in understanding how cultures impact organizations and how cultural competency can operate as an asset of leadership. After her freshman year, Bella was awarded a RCHGS internship at the Army War College, working with the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) on various case studies related to internal conflicts, insurgency, and counterinsurgency. Her research in the History Department, especially in the XH 405 course on the Holocaust and the XH 415 course on genocide, allowed her to explore the ways leaders impact cultural division within their respective communities. This spring, Isabella co-wrote a paper with Sydney Schimack in Dr. Frey’s XH 405, The Holocaust and its Legacy class. The paper, described above, examined the Ravensbrück concentration camp as a microcosm of the female experience in Nazi medical experimentation. Like Sydney Schimack, Bella commissioned as a Medical Service Officer, so this work was particularly poignant. As a cadet, Bella was one of West Point’s most influential leaders. She was a two-time captain of the Volleyball team. Last summer, she served as the Regimental Commander for Cadet Basic Training, leading the program that transformed 1,258 incoming students into West Point cadets. During the 2023-24 year, she served as the Deputy Brigade Commander, the second-highest ranking cadet in the Corps. She oversaw operations across a 12-person staff and fostered the academic, physical, military, and character development of 4,400 cadets. As a Rhodes Scholar, she will study Public Policy and Education with the intent to better understand how and where leaders can inject character and leadership development to bridge cultural divides within communities around the globe.