( CNN ) Texas A & M 's Corps of Cadets , the nation 's largest , will be under the command of a woman next year for the first time ever , the school announced on Monday . Corps Sgt . Maj. Alyssa Marie Michalke , 20 , will take command on May 9 . Michalke is a junior with a dual major in ocean and civil engineering . `` I am deeply honored to have been selected to serve as the next Corps Commander and will do my very best to uphold the tradition of leading my fellow cadets , while also continuing to learn and grow , '' Michalke said in a news release from the school . The Corps of Cadets is over 2,400 members strong , with units including the band and the official honor guard for the governor of Texas . Many know the Corps for its Fightin ' Texas Aggie Band , a precision military band that plays at many of Texas A & M 's football games . But at the core of the Corps , its mission is to prepare men and women for leadership roles in two U.S. service branches . All members of the corps take ROTC courses their freshman and sophomore years . The Corps has specialized units to prepare cadets for the elite Army Rangers or Navy SEALs . More cadets have been commissioned into the armed services from Texas A & M than any other university in the nation , with the exception of the service academies themselves . Seven members of the Corps who joined the military have been awarded the Medal of Honor , given to American soldiers who display conspicuous `` gallantry above and beyond the call of duty . '' Michalke will be the first women to lead the Corps since the school 's founding 139 years ago . She `` was selected because she was the best cadet for the position , not because she is female , '' Brig . Gen. Joe Ramirez Jr. , commandant of the Corps , said in a release . While Michalke will take command of the Corps , she wo n't be its highest ranking member . That honor is reserved for Reveille , a pure-bred American collie who is also the mascot for the school and is taken care of by Corps Company E-2 . School tradition requires that if Reveille falls asleep on a cadet 's bed , that cadet must sleep on the floor .
Corps Sgt will take command of the Corps in 139 years ago . Michalke will be the first woman to lead the Reveille since school 's founding May . She 's a junior majoring in ocean and civil engineering .