Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day. 

LEXINGTON, Va. Feb. 24, 2026 — Evelyn Anderson ’27 thrives on structure. The international studies major has 17.5 credits this semester, while holding rank as regimental sergeant major for the Corps, and balancing a Division I sport. With a hefty academic load, she’s fitting schoolwork in whenever she can. Her regimental duties can range from cadet leadership meetings to Honor Court trials, which also take up a chunk of her time and effort. She is also planning on commissioning into the U.S. Marines Corps, so she has ROTC responsibilities. 

Originally, she wanted to relieve her parents of the burden of paying for college. Even though Anderson had never heard of Virginia Military Institute, she was recruited for track and field, resulting in a full ride. 

“I have three younger siblings, so I figured I'd take the load off a little bit, and I did a visit here, and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I needed the structure, so that's really what led my decision.” 

Anderson started out as a soccer player when she was younger, then joined cross country and track to stay active leading up to soccer season.  

“With track, you see the time, and it's a reflection of you every single time,” she said. “There's no denying that if you didn't do well, it's because of your own actions leading up to the meet. I think it has more accountability of whether or not you're actually putting in the effort. I like seeing my gains and/or losses based off the effort that I put in.” 

Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more. 

She’ll go straight from class to practice some days, which results in some late nights finishing schoolwork.  

"I'm big on the Google calendar schedule. I have everything that I'm ever doing in Google calendar, so I try to plan it out ahead of time,” she explains.  

Even when it becomes overwhelming, Anderson reminds herself that there’s been so many before her that have been able to tackle the tasks that VMI puts forth.  

“This isn't new. It's just overwhelming for me because I haven't been in that situation,” she admitted. "If other people can do it, you can as well. If you're uncomfortable, everyone else is also uncomfortable. I'm not the only person with responsibilities. Everyone at VMI is pretty much invested in some aspects of the school. I just try to tell myself not to be dramatic.”

Sometimes, you just have to call it a day. 

"My biggest life hack is knowing when to give up. And that sounds so bad, but I think that there comes a time where you realize going to bed is worth more and will do more for your mental health than trying to push out an assignment or complete last-minute things,” she explained. "You can't operate on fumes.” 

The challenges are worth it, she said. Anderson credits VMI with improving her interpersonal skills. In high school, she moved and then went through COVID-19 where she wasn’t around people, and her life revolved around school, track, and being at home. 

“Coming to VMI, I feel uncomfortable kind of all the time, but it's in a good way. I'm growing skills, learning how to interact with different people from different backgrounds,” she explained. "I come from a more rural area that has one high school. It's a lot different for me, dealing with all different people, especially in stressful ways. I have to orchestrate and hit deadlines. I think that that's really helping prepare me for the professional world.” 

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE