Life is made up of many challenges; some embrace it and become leaders. Dr. Rebecca (Marier) McGuigan, a 1995 United States Military Academy graduate, embraced it and became the type of leader and pioneer for which West Point is known.
When McGuigan received her diploma on June 3, 1995 from United States Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, she wrote her name into the West Point annals as the first woman to graduate at the top of her class. She had many accomplishments throughout her West Point career, but her No. 1 ranking was the first of its kind since the Academy was founded 193 years prior.