Excitement filled the air inside The Hofstra Bubble as the Hofstra University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) unit prepared for its routine morning workout, with special guest Method Man – an American rapper and actor Clifford Smith Jr. – making an appearance.
The program, which has been part of Hofstra since 1951, includes more than 70 cadets from across Long Island and neighboring campuses, including Stony Brook University. Cadets train five days a week between campuses, building not only physical endurance but also a sense of camaraderie in a shared environment. Students from different backgrounds connect and support one another and grow as leaders while balancing the demands of college life.
That sense of purpose and community was on display when Method Man joined the workout session. Method Man is a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, an American hip-hop collective stemming from Staten Island and a native of Hempstead who returned to his Long Island roots to participate.
“I just wanted to come out and be a part of it,” Method Man said. “This is where I’m from.”
Cadets rotated through multiple workout stations, each led by a student in a leadership role, regardless of rank. The structure followed the program’s goal of developing leadership skills early in training.
Lieutenant Colonel Houng Lee, chair of Hofstra’s Military Science Department, emphasized that leadership opportunities are built into the program from the start.
“Anybody can do it,” Lee said. “Even our MS1 [first-year cadet] freshmen get the opportunity to lead training. That’s how you build confidence early.”
Lee reinforced that ROTC is about more than following instructions, it’s about learning how to take initiative.
“Leadership starts from the very beginning, right?” Lee said. “And it’s not something that’s just only taught, it’s also innate in us. I think anybody has the ability and the desire to [lead].”
For cadets, the experience of training alongside Method Man brought a different kind of energy to the workout while still reinforcing the program’s core values.
Michael Detres, a cadet and senior filmmaking major, said the experience of training in ROTC with people like Method Man and others in the community held significance.
“I didn’t have a whole lot of self-confidence in myself,” Detres said. “So having a community here at Hofstra, it was always very uplifting and really forced me to push myself past my previous limits.”
Detres said community events and engagement were factors the ROTC program regularly provides for its cadets.
“I feel like most people are unaware [of what] we do,” Detres said. “And this is just a great way to feel like meeting interesting people. We have people from all across New York and across the country that join us. Sometimes it just pushes people to do stuff that they’re not expected to do in their regular life, and they’ve never tried it.”
Cadet Ronit Malhotra, a junior political science major, said having Method Man work out alongside them made their efforts feel recognized.
“All the cadets here, they put a lot of effort in every day to build themselves up to lead future troops of America,” Malhotra said.
Method Man didn’t just observe, he participated, moving through pushups, weights and conditioning drills alongside cadets and keeping pace throughout the session.
“They’re in much better shape than I am – that’s for sure – as they should be,” Method Man said.
Method Man also reflected on what the experience meant to him personally.
“Well, for one, [there’s] nostalgia of just being back here,” Method Man said. “I played football here [and] had some of my best years here as a youth – a lot of great memories. I was a Hempstead [High School] Tiger, maybe a Hempstead Tiger for life, as well as a New York Jets fan.”
Method Man’s visit came after connecting with First Class Sargent Tracy Jacobson at a local gym, turning a typical morning into a moment that highlighted both the discipline of ROTC training and the strong sense of community within the program.
The session reflected the sense of community and leadership that Hofstra ROTC aims to establish.
“Those who continue to follow will never be leaders because they’ve never experienced what leading is,” Method Man said. “Always be a leader, not a follower.”
