Opening combat military occupational specialties to women is among the most divisive issues in the military today–especially in the Marine Corps. While other services greenlit opening combat roles to women early on, the Marine Corps conducted a nine-month long study to determine how female Marines would perform in such roles. Its lukewarm conclusions stirred a controversy that is still rearing its ugly head today.

But amid all the debate, one female Marine came out of that study stronger than ever.

Corporal Remedios Cruz was one of a dozen women to participate in the coed infantry program that formed the foundation of the study. After gritting her teeth and making it through Marine Infantry training, Cruz hopes to become the Marine Corps’ first female rifeman–or riflewoman. Rifleperson. You get the idea.

“We’ve already integrated 315 of our 337 military occupational specialties and I’ll be among the first to finish that bridge,” Cruz said to the Marine Corps Times.

Cruz was a supply clerk stationed in Iwakuni, Japan when she heard of the gender integration study. She decided to take a shot at completing the training, and after thriving there she decided to apply to make a lateral move in the service so she could take her place in the infantry.

“Just being in that study … I definitely enjoyed being out in the field and getting to experience the camaraderie between my brothers- and my sisters-in-arms,” Cruz said.

One of the biggest concerns surrounding gender integration in the armed forces is “lowering standards” in order to make it easier for women to qualify for combat positions. While it’s too early to say whether or not standards are changing in the armed forces, we do know that Cruz was expected to perform at the same level as her male colleagues. And she met the challenge at every step of the way.

“There were times where I didn’t think that I could make it to the very end, but I just stuck it out,” she said. “There was no questioning that I would not quit. There was no questioning that I would finish it.”

Perhaps in a year’s time, Cruz will be on the front lines unleashing hell with her fellow Marines.