Blair Academy counts several alumni among the nearly 2.9 million individuals currently serving in the U.S. military, including Major Alexandra (Budge) Kilgore ’07. On October 14, students will had the opportunity to hear from Alex, now a strategic planner for the Headquarters of the Army in the Pentagon, who admits her military career began almost by accident.

“I fell into the Army,” Alex shared in a pre-event interview. “At college orientation, I was required to sign up for at least two student organizations, and Army ROTC had the shortest line. They agreed to sign my form if I promised to attend one physical training (PT) session. When I showed up, I was assigned a squad, given a uniform, and immediately drawn to the sense of duty to serve alongside the men and women to my left and right.”

After that first PT session, she was hooked. Alex soon commissioned as an Air Defender and later transitioned to a functional area known as Army Strategist, where she began working on national security planning efforts across the Army enterprise.

Today, Alex serves full-time as a strategic planner for the U.S. Army, a role she downplays but one that reflects a remarkable career trajectory. From leading a platoon and serving as a tactical control officer at Osan Air Base in South Korea to commanding the only airborne air defense battery in the United States and earning a master’s in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, she has steadily built a portfolio of leadership, lifelong learning and strategic expertise that now informs one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

Reflecting on her journey, Alex credits much of her success to the foundation she built at Blair.

“It’s an extraordinary opportunity,” she said of her invitation to speak at Skeptics. “The Skeptics program was a core pillar of my Blair experience. It opened my eyes to a whole host of careers and ideas I had never considered.”

When asked what advice she would give to students uncertain about their futures, Alex offered perspective and reassurance.

“You are in good company,” she said. “I had no idea I wanted to join the Army until I did. I didn’t know I’d love being an air defender until I was one. I didn’t even know being a strategist was a job until six years into my career. No one has all the answers at 18—or even 35. We’re all just making the best decisions with the information we have. Give yourself grace to figure it out along the way.”

And when you do find your passion, Alex encourages students to go all in.

“I love the Army because it’s given me the chance to make a real impact. Every soldier contributes to a global force ready to fight and win our nation’s wars—but at the soldier level, it’s even more rewarding. Working with and for those on the front lines—people willing to die to defend this American experiment—is, without question, the most fulfilling part of my career.”

History of Skeptics

The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.