Charting Her Course

“I thought, how hard could it be? It’s the military,” she said. “But by the end of my first week, I had serious doubts, like—they’re yelling at me, and I have to wear this uniform and I’m not sure I want to do this.”

Curran enlisted in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps to pay for college and follow in the footsteps of her mother, Shirley Schulze McMenamin ’80, who attended Auburn on an ROTC scholarship and graduated as one of the university’s first female cadets. You might think this family history would have clued in Curran about what to expect. But her mom’s Army career as a laboratory technologist hadn’t exposed Curran to typical military service.

When she arrived at Auburn, Curran began ROTC training and participated in sorority recruitment at the same time—making for some hectic early days.

“It felt crazy,” she recalled. “I called my mom and told her this was not for me, and she replied that I could come home whenever I wanted. And I said, ‘But I don’t want to come home. I love Auburn.’ Then she said I clearly had a lot to think about between then and Christmas.”

Finding Her People

She majored in chemical engineering, planning to attend medical school during her five-year Navy commitment. Between her engineering and ROTC classes, Curran found herself in a male-dominated world.

“Initially, I was very shy and self-conscious, especially because I was wearing a uniform on campus,” she explained. “There were other ROTC members, including other women, but I was trying not to stick out and just get through everything being asked of me. Your first semester at college, you’re just trying to find your spot and find your way. The girls in my pledge class were my backstop, and some are my best friends to this day.”

Curran’s sorority sisters became her support squad and spent afternoons watching her march around the ROTC field while they ate snacks in a nearby parking lot, taking her to Sky Bar or the Bodega after a difficult exam and encouraging her through the rigors of military training. When an ROTC instructor told Curran she “wasn’t tough enough” for the military, her friends helped her find the grit to prove otherwise.

“Auburn offers so many wonderful things, but one of the most lasting for me was finding my people,” Curran said. “When you can’t find your own confidence, your tribe helps you find it. For me, that started before I even realized it.”

Setting Sail

During her senior year at Auburn, Curran applied to medical schools as planned, but she was still waitlisted until the time came for her to begin her naval service. She took this in stride, pivoting instead to the Navy’s nuclear power track. For her first assignment, she reported to the USS McCampbell, a guided-missile destroyer based in Japan, but not before attending the 2010 National Championship, where she saw her beloved Tigers defeat Oregon.

She had only been on the McCampbell a few months when, on March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, leading to three reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Over 2,000 people died because of the disaster’s combined effects.

“I learned so much about how the Navy responds in situations like that,” she said. “We conducted search-and-rescue and salvage operations, and our helicopter detachment sent supplies ashore.”

From the McCampbell, Curran was assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford. The Ford, then under construction in the shipyards of Newport News, Virginia, is the world’s largest and most advanced warship ever built. Curran led a team overseeing the testing and maintenance of the Ford’s nuclear propulsion systems.

New Chapters

As Curran approached the end of her initial service commitment, she and her husband, Jack, now a commander in the Navy, faced a decision about their military careers. Jack was not ready to leave the Navy, and to Curran’s surprise, neither was she.

“I had always thought I wanted to get out, but then I was as shocked as everyone else in my life when I didn’t want to leave either,” Curran said. “I found myself thinking, ‘Maybe I’m not done with the Navy just yet. I’ve had some really meaningful jobs and relationships.’ And I discovered I really love leading sailors and I believe in the work we do.”

A few years later, with her Ford assignment complete and her first child on the way, Curran transitioned to a shore-based role. In 2017, she joined the Navy’s Engineering Duty Officer community, overseeing the technical construction of naval vessels. This meant she could stay closer to home, and she and Jack could raise their family while continuing their naval service.

Perhaps just as importantly, Curran had successfully converted Jack, a Naval Academy graduate, into a Tigers fan.

“The first time we visited Auburn together was so Jack could meet some of my college friends,” Curran explained. “We got engaged on that trip. He really did his research, dressed the part—including an orange-and-blue bowtie—and proposed in front of Samford Hall. Now our kids are fully indoctrinated, of course.”

Auburn Forever

In 2022, Curran—then eight months pregnant—and Jack moved their family to Boston. Six days after giving birth to their third child, she began graduate school at MIT. Despite her humorous assessment of the experience (“Zero stars! Do not recommend!”), Curran accomplished something remarkable: earning two master’s degrees—in mechanical engineering, and naval architecture and marine engineering—in two years, while raising three young children.

When she finished at MIT in May 2024, Curran returned to the Engineering Duty Officer community. Now 15 years into her naval career and stationed in the Washington, D.C. area, Curran gives back to Auburn through programs like 100+ Women Strong.

“My time at Auburn gave me so much—it’s where I learned to stand on my own and have confidence, and I couldn’t have done that without the ROTC scholarship. It’s important to give back so other people can also have that experience,” she said.

“I love the mission of 100+ Women Strong and how they pour into female students, encouraging them to come through the door and then to go out into the world. It’s this sort of thing that continues to pull me back to the Auburn Family.”

Curran’s Auburn experience—from finding her footing as a shy first-year to building lifelong friendships to beginning her unexpected naval career—shaped everything that followed. The same friends who cheered Curran on during ROTC training gather for tailgates during football season, now with their own families in tow.

“The best parts of my life started with decisions I made at Auburn,” Curran said. “And I will never lose my loyalty and love for it.”

By Shelley Wunder-Smith ’96