MADISON, Wis.— The woman who defied the odds and rose to become one of the military's highest-ranking African American females, failed kindergarten.

Retired Major General Marcia Anderson says her Beloit teacher's decision hurt, but she never let it hold her back. 

"It really did motivate me because I got to first grade and I was 7-years-old and I knew I had something to prove," Anderson said.

In the decades to come, she proved she was dedicated to her studies and set her sites on higher education.

"I just kept pushing forward after that, I ended up eventually finishing college in three years because I also amassed enough college credits in high school, so that I could start as a sophomore," she said.

While at Creighton University, the liberal arts major found her calling in one of the most unexpected places— while fulfilling a science credit.  

"Military Science and it was the ROTC department, and it still counted as a science credit. And on top of that, they would give me $100 a month stipend, which to me was a lot of money back in 1977," she said.

But beyond the money, came a new love and mission.

"Basically develop military training and learning about the military and history and tradition. And I liked it," she said about the course that provided leadership and physical endurance training.

Anderson enjoyed the experience so much the after attaining her law degree, she stayed in the U.S. Army Reserve for 37 years, becoming Major General in 2011.

"Just my own drive and determination that I wasn't going to let people tell me no. People who worked for me in the military know my saying, 'No means maybe and maybe means yes,' and that was how sometimes I approached problems or people who didn't want to do something I wanted to do or the obstacles I encountered," she said.

The General’s other favorite saying: "If you’re not at the table, you're on the menu." 

Anderson knows having a seat and taking your place, so important for accountability and diversity.

"I know this personally; I have to have different ideas and thoughts and experiences in the halls of the Pentagon, or overseas. As we're working to support our allies, we have to, because all these different thoughts and experiences add value, and they make us stronger," she said. "So I urge people, if you have someone in your family who's thinking about it, don't discourage them really explore it, and call someone who served to find out what it's really like."

These days, Anderson spends her days as a civilian pivoting from patriotic duty as a "General" to "Grandma." She's currently working on a major sewing project, a Dr. Seuss quilt for her grandson.