The stories of her aunt’s escape from war-torn Vietnam left a lasting impact on Clarabelle Walkup. From time spent in a refugee camp to ultimately being rescued from a boat in the South China Sea, her aunt’s experiences served not only as a harrowing tale of survival but as an inspiration for Walkup, and a realization that a commitment to national service would be her driving force in life.
After much soul-searching, she enrolled at Virginia Military Institute, a small, state-supported military school in the mountains of western Virginia. As the oldest military college in the U.S., VMI has produced leaders and individuals who value integrity, fairness and true grit.
“I started to develop a sense of how important this nation is and the values that we all share as Americans,” Walkup said. “I guess I get my resolve from my aunt. I thought to myself, if this country is worth sacrificing your life to get to, then it’s worth sacrificing your life to fight for and to preserve.”
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“I thought to myself, if this country is worth sacrificing your life to get to, then it’s worth sacrificing your life to fight for and to preserve.”
Clarabelle Walkup - VMI Cadet
In just a few weeks, Walkup’s dream of giving back will come true as she commissions into the U.S. Navy. On May 16, she’ll graduate from VMI with a bachelor of arts degree in history and a minor in modern languages and cultures (Spanish). During her time at VMI, she served as command master chief of Naval ROTC and captain of the volleyball team.
As in the rest of life, success at VMI isn’t realized alone. “You learn quickly at VMI that the most important thing is the person next to you,” Walkup said. “And that comes from a collective resilience through adversity that cannot be achieved anywhere else.”
For the San Jose native, it’s been a long, hard road — but one she chose carefully, with a desired outcome in mind.
“I came to VMI because I wanted to become a superior military leader and a servant leader,” she said. “Here at VMI, there’s a particular set of values that people not only seek to achieve — but embody — and I wanted to immerse myself in an environment where the cadets really embody honor.”
“Here at VMI, there’s a particular set of values that people not only seek to achieve — but embody — and I wanted to immerse myself in an environment where the cadets really embody honor.”
Clarabelle Walkup - VMI Cadet
Over the course of her four years at VMI, Walkup deepened her understanding of honor — the trait that most attracted her to VMI.
“Honor isn’t just about not cheating on a test or not lying on an official statement,” she said. “It’s about taking care of yourself and the person next to you. It’s about doing what’s right, even when no one’s looking. And I really found that everyone here wants to achieve true honor and carry that out into their careers after VMI.”
As she prepares to commission and graduate, Walkup is mindful of the fact that the sailors under her command and the other officers around her will get their first impressions of her alma mater from her.
“When I graduate from here, I want people to say, ‘Oh, who’s that Ensign Walkup? Where’s she from? She’s from VMI,’” she said.
As well as from a family who understands true grit.
For more information, or to schedule a visit, call 540-464-7211, or visit vmi.edu.
Take a look at what else is happening at VMI in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
