history with the arrival of the first female cadets. >> i was in the first class of women. we were here not to break tradition, not to ruin history, but to help grow it. for those four years i worked extremely hard to be the best person i could be and to represent women as a whole. i wanted to be that person that stood in front of the men and said i can do it too. >> it's most appropriate that we welcome today a member of our nation's highest court, a notable example of a citizen with a lifelong dedication to public service, justice ruth bader ginsburg. welcome to the virginia military institute. >> it wasn't just about vmi. it was about the notion that you cannot exclude women just because they're women. you cannot say categorically