LEXINGTON -- They were the ones who answered, once and for all, the question beneath all the constitutional ones: Can women really hack it at Virginia Military Institute?

Thirty women came to VMI in August 1997, a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down VMI's all-male admissions policy.

They came from Oregon and Taiwan, prosperous Northern Virginia and the farm-flush Highlands. They were white, black, Korean; the children of a diplomat, a waitress, and a pair of Romanian immigrant hairdressers.

One followed in a brother's steps. Another brought juggling gear.

In a week, all but two will leave the institute. Five have already picked up VMI diplomas. Thirteen more will do so Saturday.

Two were "drummed out" for violating a simple pledge not to lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do. The rest left on their own, most of them in the midst of the draining six-month gut check called the ratline.

"They came here determined to succeed on VMI's terms -- not their own," Superintendent Josiah Bunting III said. "They were above all, persevering; they had -- and still have -- one of the great VMI qualities: tenacity of purpose. They've earned the admiration of their Brother Rats, the Institute and their faculty and superintendent. I'm very proud of them."

To a woman, they reject the mantle of pioneer.

"I think we really get annoyed at that term," said Melissa Williams of Woodbridge, who will graduate Saturday. "All we're doing is going to college. We're taking advantage of an opportunity we were given."

But Williams is not naive about the burden that came with opportunity.

"The burden of proof was totally on us," she said, "and still is."

But they seem to have reaped the same benefits of confidence

Photo by Sam Dean

Erin Claunch, the second-highest ranked cadet, revived the institute's equestrian club.

and strong will that men claimed from the VMI system for 157 years, but with a feminine twist.

"We were all afraid we'd become these less-than-feminine women," Williams said. Instead, they learned that their femininity, like any other quality of their character, has nothing to do with the length of their hair or the cut of their uniforms. "I think I'm comfortable being a woman in any situation now," Williams said.

Visitors to VMI still point at them and say, "There's one," said senior Tamina Mars of Prince George. She used to cower. Now, she waves and smiles.

Early on, they were frequently mistaken for men because of their short hair and uniforms identical to the male cadets'. Some caused screams walking into women's restrooms.

Photo by Sam Dean

Angela "Nicki" Myers the *first female cadet to break out of the ratline, shows off her class ring.

"We kind of resented some of the civilian girls," confessed senior Megan Smith of Monument, Colo.

But once they could grow their hair and wear a little makeup, their own classmates mistook them for civilians.

When that happens, said Kelly Sullivan of Jackson, Ga., "we secretly smile and go, 'Yeah, finally.’ ”

Most said their gender was never an issue in their lives before entering VMI.

"I never even realized there was a prejudice for that, and when I did, it was like a kick in the teeth," said Rachel Love, a senior from Emmaus, Pa. "I can never look at someone and not like them because of something they were born with. In some ways, this place has really opened my eyes."

Four years into coeducation, women remain a striking minority in the corps of cadets.

Of the roughly 1,200 cadets, only 64 are women.

"It's strange to see a woman in a VMI uniform still," said sophomore Aaron Campbell of Richmond, though he's never known a day at VMI without women.

Even now, senior Tennille Chisholm of Chesterfield occasionally hears an administrator say, "Gentlemen of the corps, you are dismissed."

"I'm like, 'Do I stick around, or what?’ ”

Love still finds she's the only woman in some classes.

"I think it's still a man's world," said Williams. "But we're not faltering in it."

Matt Chittum can be reached at 981-3331 or mattc@roanoke.com