Mia Martin pictured with retired Lt. Col. Jamaine Williams (center) and Master Sgt. Edsell Bankston (right) at the Blazer Battalion Military BallCadet Mia Martin, an alumna of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Army ROTC and School of Nursing, has earned the 2026 Association of the United States Army COL Danielle Rodondi Cadet Nurse Excellence Award, distinguishing herself among 350 Nursing Cadets across 6th Brigade, United States Army Cadet Command.
The AUSA COL Danielle Rodondi Cadet Nurse Excellence Award is awarded annually to the No. 1 Cadet Nurse within the 6th Brigade. The Titan Brigade is responsible for all University Army ROTC and High School Army JROTC departments in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico.
The award of a nurse stethoscope is presented in honor of COL Rodondi, signifying her contributions and continued service in the Army Nurse Corps. COL Rodondi was selected as the namesake for this award by AUSA as a result of her demonstrated passion and dedication to the ANC throughout her twenty years of service, as well as her continued service as the Commander of 32nd Hospital Center in Fort Polk, La.
Mia Martin, a recent alumna of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Nursing and Army ROTC program“Receiving this award is a huge honor, and I’m very grateful to be recognized. To me, it represents the people who have supported me throughout my time at UAB and the opportunities I have had to grow through both nursing and ROTC,” Martin said. “I’ve had so many great instructors, mentors, classmates and leaders who have taught me and helped shape who I am today. I hope to take what they have taught me into the Army Nurse Corps and use it to serve others.”
Martin was selected for this prestigious award because of her demonstrated excellence throughout her four-year tenure as a UAB Army ROTC Cadet, setting an example for all cadets to follow in terms of leadership, character, education and physical fitness.
“Cadet Martin is an outstanding young leader who epitomizes the leadership characteristics and attributes we expect of Army officers. She sets the example for others to follow in all that she does as a cadet, member of the UAB ROTC Ranger Challenge Team and as a student,” said Maj. Andrew McCornack, associate professor of military science at UAB. “The Army is gaining an absolutely terrific new Second Lieutenant on Oct. 16, 2026. This award is another in a long line of her achievements highlighting her professional growth within the Army.”
Following Martin’s graduation from UAB this past August, she will commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps in October 2026 with a follow-on assignment to the Army Nurse Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Martin says her education in UAB’s School of Nursing’s No. 6 nationally ranked Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, along with her ROTC experience, has laid the foundation for how she plans to care for patients and lead as an Army officer in her future endeavors.