One of the most conservative public schools in the country is making headlines by appointing the first ever woman as the Corps Commander.

Texas A&M has a rich military tradition and still maintains an ROTC unit of about 2,400 students, including combat veterans.

Texas A&M Today reports:

Corps Of Cadets Selects First Woman To Lead As Corps Commander

For the first time in Texas A&M’s 139-year history, a woman will lead the university’s legendary Corps of Cadets. Alyssa Marie Michalke of Schulenburg, Texas, will take command of the 2,400-plus member unit, the largest of its type in the nation except for the service academies, at the conclusion of the spring semester and serve throughout the 2015-16 school year.

The trail-blazing young woman is currently a junior with a dual major in ocean and civil engineering and presently serves as Corps Sergeant Major, the highest rank for any cadet who is not a senior. She is also the first woman to hold that position.

After her scheduled graduation next year, Michalke said she aspires to work in the offshore oil production and sub-sea systems industry.

She is the daughter of Rodney and Nicole Michalke. Her mother is a 1993 Texas A&M graduate.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected to serve as the next Corps Commander and will do my very best to uphold the tradition of leading my fellow cadets, while also continuing to learn and grow. The Corps of Cadets has provided me a tremendous opportunity to grow as a person and to develop good leadership skills. More importantly, I’ve been able to mentor others, and I will continue to do so in my new position as Corps Commander,” Michalke said.

Her appointment to the Corps’ top student position represents another milestone for Texas A&M and its nationally known organization. Participation in it was made strictly voluntary in 1965 after decades of being required for all regular undergraduate students. Women for the first time were allowed to join the Corps in 1974, and their ranks total more than 300 for the current school year and the number of female cadets continues to rise.