This qualitative narrative study presents the interpreted experiences of seventeen female ROTC student-cadets enrolled in one of five traditional universities (as opposed to military institutions) located in the southeast U.S. I create a theoretical framework of four metaphors to represent university students and ROTC young women student-cadets; namely, "minimalist," "traditionalist," "enthusiast,"and "reflective." My metaphors suggest the expression of social identity roles and characteristic communication and behavioral patterns of students and student-cadets in the university classroom and in their ROTC experience. I look at the multiple and competing ways these student-cadets navigate their ROTC role and their social identities between the competing forces of the of the distinctly patriarchal military culture marked by order, discipline, loyalty, and duty while engaging in a postsecondary educational environment marked by ideals of freedom, choice and fluidity. I chose narrative research to allow me to ask the broad open-ended question of .tell me the story of your life. and to listen to the silences, observe the omissions, accept the selectivity, and catch the slippages in the young women's interpretive language (Casey, 1993). In my final chapter, my research-to-pedagogy provides three classroom strategies utilizing technology, service and communication to provide students and student-cadets multiple ways of analyzing their personal and professional choices and their communication with selves and others. The goal is to bridge the gaps among each of the metaphoric representations of students with the goal of leading students and student-cadets to a "reflective" classroom environment. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]