Architect, Engineer, Pilot Highlight Air Force ROTC Class of 2025

Every year, NJIT’s detachment of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps graduates several successful cadets into the military officer ranks. Three members of the Class of 2025 spoke about their backgrounds that led them to the program, experiences during their time as Highlanders and future plans.

The young men who will soon receive their commissions as second lieutenants are Fredy Aleman Jr., a computer engineering major from Elizabeth; Irvin Hoyos, an architecture major from Paterson; and Michael Ruzzi, an industrial engineering major from Trenton.

The detachment formed in 1949. In addition to serving the Air Force, it also sends graduates to the recently created Space Force.

“The graduates featured here have, throughout their time with the ROTC program, consistently demonstrated the values, courage, determination and leadership required to successfully answer tomorrow's greatest national defense challenges and will lead Airmen and Guardians with distinction,” said detachment commander Lt. Col. James Carter.

Aleman picked NJIT and the military because his father served as an enlisted member and because he loves technology and mathematics. He starts active duty on June 16 and will be assigned to the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y. as a computer systems engineer.

Much of the Rome lab’s work is classified. “I’ll be dealing with a lot of hardware and circuits. I just know I'll be doing a lot of cool projects, dealing with planes and any research. It’s a little different than your typical Air Force duties or locations. It's more for research and just doing cool things that are behind-the-scenes,” he said, adding that someday he’d like to be stationed in Florida or Italy.

Beyond technical skills that Aleman learned here, “Mainly with the ROTC program, it just helped me step out of my comfort zone. I think it helped me grow on a personal level, because the program helps you develop your leadership skills, you can make amazing friends because you're going to be with these people for the next four years, and overall, it just helped me individually,” he said. “That’s something you need in the Air Force and as an officer specifically, you want those leadership skills. You want those soft skills. They're not always going to be perfect. And there's so many more things that I have to learn. But I think NJIT helped me develop, to just get out of my comfort zone and start my leadership skills.”

Aleman cited his academic adviser Ryoko Mathes and Assistant Professor Shaahin Angizi as important influences. He also learned much from a summer 2024 internship at USAA, which provides insurance and financial services to U.S. military veterans and their families, where he worked in a data engineering role.

Irvin Hoyos decided to study architecture on his father’s advice, because as a child he enjoyed sketching and building things. But he came to NJIT later in life after serving as an Air Force enlisted man and reservist, and then studying at Brookdale Community College. Now 30, he said he’s found inspiration from other adult learners and from sharing his life experience with traditional undergraduates.

Unlike traditional architectural work, where aesthetics is as vital as function, in the military the function of a building is almost all that matters. “You’re going to be working with a lot of civil engineers, so you're going to be reviewing sketches, drawings after that, and even do surveying. You’re going to be a part of everything that's HVAC and electrical,” Hoyos explained.

Students in NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture & Design are known for enduring what they call studio life — long hours of intense concentration and reliance on team members — which Hoyos said is equally vital in military jobs. “You build that camaraderie with the people that you're next to. And going through the hard times of trying to get something done, your goal is in mind, but you also spend a lot of time with people, get to know them, develop relationships and also new sets of skills,” he observed.

Hoyos said his favorite professor was Gabrielle Esperdy, for a history of architecture course. Esperdy now serves as Dean of the college.

Though he loves architecture, Hoyos has another dream — he also wants to work in tactical air control, which involves helping pilots from the ground. “I like the discipline it brings, also just pushing yourself to limits that you didn’t think you were capable of,” he said.

Ruzzi began college as a mechanical engineering student and switched to industrial, finding that he preferred working on factories and equipment. “I really do enjoy designing things, but industrial engineering was a little bit better for me,” he noted. He also enjoys all facets of transportation, not just jets. He’s an avid builder of Lego trains, he helped design NJIT’s civil aviation lab, and in addition to military training he also joined the ROTC’s color guard team.

Yet his biggest dream is to become an astronaut. He will begin service at an Air Force flight school in Oklahoma. “I always really enjoy looking up to the sky and wondering, what's out there and what's beyond? When I got my first incentive flight, it really drew me … I knew I wanted to do a pilot gig,” he said. In another demonstration flight, “The pilot let me fly around. We did loops, barrel rolls, all sorts of cool maneuvers that you can't do in a regular civilian plane.”

Whether he reaches astronaut status or not, “Something I tell everyone is, I want to see how far I can go in the Air Force, because being an Air Force officer, you can make a huge difference being in charge of a lot of people and a lot of assets.”

Ruzzi said his two NJIT faculty influenced him the most — senior lecturer Louise Castronova, for an oral presentation course, and assistant professor Bo Shen on the engineering side.

All three graduating seniors shared advice for new students. Aleman suggested that students should take advantage of faculty office hours and the university’s various tutoring centers. Hoyos said don’t hesitate to make decisions about your future, because the clock is ticking — but that it’s never too late for adults to go back to school. Ruzzi emphasized hard work and physical fitness if you want to reach the top.

“I am proud to serve alongside individuals of such strong moral character. NJIT and Detachment 490 wish them the best,” Carter stated.