Epperson Takes Leadership to a Different Level

When senior Ian Epperson first enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University he wanted to be a lawyer. Events stemming from his upbringing through his first year of college molded a different landscape for his future. Although graduate studies are still in his plans, a commitment to the United States Marine Corps will come first.

A history and international relations major and a senior on the men's soccer team, Epperson, spent the past two summers at Officer Candidates School for the United States Marines. Following his first summer home from college when he interned with the Central Intelligence Agency, he had the opportunity to really consider military service, something he believes in and is passionate about.

After researching the different military services for whom was the most competitive and selective with leadership being a driving force, Epperson settled on the Marine Corps.

"Officer Candidates School gave me the chance to pursue military service during the summers instead of after graduation," Epperson said. "I could act on my desire to serve right away."

Epperson graduated from his first summer program in the top 10 percent of his class while receiving special recognition for achievement in physical fitness. With a year to think about returning, he decided he wanted to go back and finished this past summer, citing it as the hardest thing he's ever done.

His experience during the past two summers was certainly impacted by his role on the soccer team. Likewise, Epperson's role on the soccer team was affected by his past two summers.

"Carnegie Mellon Athletics has definitely provided an avenue for me to explore my leadership abilities," said Epperson. "What I found was being named captain the spring of my sophomore year, which is early and I probably wasn't ready for it, forced me to get out of my comfort zone. If I had not had that experience, I would not have done as well at Officer Candidates School that summer, no questions asked. It's a leadership academy."

"It all seems to be compounding," Epperson added. "I was able to take what I learned that summer and try to be a better leader the following fall, and so on and so forth. Athletics and the military have been a great duo for me to better myself and I hope it's had an impact on the team."

Epperson earned a starting role on a team full of veterans and finished his rookie campaign in a supporting role, as an outside back and obscure position according to the senior, on the 2008 NCAA playoff team. As a sophomore, Epperson proved to be an integral part on the most successful team in school history, which holds five school records and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16.

"Ian came to us as an outside midfielder but filled a whole we had in defense," head coach Arron Lujan said. "He worked his way up to a starter at the right back position during his sophomore year and never relinquished the spot. He has played a vital role in our success over the last four seasons while leaving a mark on this program for future years to come."

His development through soccer is something he's incredibly grateful for, mentioning it as a lesson in humility and maturity.

"Having the chance to play on the '08 and '09 teams was fantastic," cited Epperson. "To win all those games and be a part of that was tremendous. The winning attitude and work rate of that senior class was contagious."

"Stepping into more of a leadership role last year and this year, just the whole development, is something I'm incredibly grateful for. To start off and be a part of something special and to transition to shaping the team in the next couple years is pretty cool."

Epperson also took advantage of a special opportunity afforded him by the Undergraduate Research Office at Carnegie Mellon.

During the spring semester of his junior year, Epperson approached a professor about a topic he was passionate about and developed an independent study. It was his own class. He decided what to study, how to do it, he set the deadlines and got personal feedback on reading, writing and how to articulate ideas. The topic of Epperson's class was "American Foreign Policy Regarding the Formation of an Independent Palestine." His interest in the topic dates back to his childhood, as his two best friends were a Jewish American and an Emirati American.

"Both friends had strong convictions on either side and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is something I'm really interested in," Epperson said. "It was definitely a cool experience and by far the most meaningful thing I've done academically in terms of the progression from where I was as a student on day one until the end of the semester."

Epperson's childhood also influenced his decision to join the Marine Corps. Moving every three years since he was four and living in India, Belgium, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, he grew up in Embassies which were guarded by Marines. As a kid, he thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

"A background in government service is prevalent in my family so you could say I was predisposed to it," Epperson reflected. "But this is a different avenue than my parents or I would have expected."