Patriots Path Scholarship

I remember sitting with my laptop open and reading about UCSB’s Army ROTC program. I saw the name Surfrider Battalion on the Department of Military Science page. I expected to skim it, but I did not. I remember reading the page more slowly than I expected because it stopped feeling like an idea and began to feel like a real choice. That is why I am looking closely at a military career path. I want my time at UCSB to mean something. I do not want college to be only about earning a degree or building a résumé. I want it to help me become more disciplined, more confident, and more ready to serve. I am not pursuing this path because I do not think it will be easy. I am looking at it because I think it will help me grow in the ways I need to. I am still learning how to speak up when I am unsure, and I know that is something I need to build. I also want to become better at staying calm when things feel uncertain and when others may be looking for direction. At UCSB, I plan to explore the Army ROTC program and the Surfrider Battalion through the Department of Military Science. I want to learn more about the officer path and what it takes to serve in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. I am still at the beginning of this decision, and I think that matters. I do not want to write about military service as if I already fully understand it. I want to be honest about what I still need to learn, because interest alone is not enough. Besides ROTC, I want to join activities that help me become more ready to serve. I want to look for student leadership, community service, fitness, and classes that build discipline and teamwork. Leadership activities would help me practice taking responsibility. Community service would remind me that service starts with helping people around me. Fitness would help me build strength and endurance. My classes would help me stay focused and finish hard work, even when it takes time. Service starts before someone puts on a uniform. It starts in the small choices: showing up on time, keeping promises, helping people around you, and doing the work even when nobody is watching. I want to become someone who can be trusted in small moments before being trusted with bigger ones. For me, exploring a military career is about the kind of adult I want to become. I want to become dependable. I want to become brave in a steady way. I want to lead with calm confidence instead of ego. If I choose this path, I want to be ready to give it my best and serve my country with humility, purpose, and honor.

My name is Chaney Gao, I am a first generation college student and military with immigrant parents from China. I grew up in Los Angeles, California and purpose to serve others began on the night of July 7, 2016. At the age of 9, my family and I found ourselves caught in the midst of rapid gunfire during a protest in Downtown Dallas. While on vacation, we were forced to flee for cover as we became unintended participants in a larger political conflict. That night, we learned that 11 Dallas police officers were ambushed and shot. Yet amid the chaos, a lone Officer with a rifle who risked his life to guide us to shelter, stood out. Despite becoming a target because of his calling, he prioritized protecting strangers like my family and me over his own safety. Despite becoming a target because of his profession, he placed the lives of others above him. As I grew older, I began to admire those who willingly step forward when others cannot, while protecting others despite personal risk. Wanting to serve my community in a similar capacity, I joined the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Explorer Program. After completing the Explorer Academy, I spent my weekends working alongside deputies, answering calls for service through ridealongs. Initially, my tasks were straightforward—filing paperwork, fetching gear. However, through working the radio and speaking to the public, I gained a deeper understanding of my community's needs. One clear necessity was the desire for Chinese-speaking deputies in predominantly Asian neighborhoods, particularly to address communication issues due to the language barriers. The true weight of this became apparent one evening during a felony stop of an armed robbery suspect. At that moment, while deputies were trying to de-escalate the situation, the suspect, an immigrant from China was visibly confused and non-compliant. While witnessing this moment unfold before me, I was unexpectedly called up by officers to translate commands. I found myself as the link between officers and the suspect. Given my experiences of growing up in a Mandarin-speaking household, I mainly practiced speaking Mandarin to sustain everyday conversations. However, it never occurred to me that those skills would be tested under the profession of conflict resolution within policing. Standing there in that intense moment, feet away from the armed suspect and commanding him in Chinese, made me recognize the capabilities that I possessed as an Asian American. With every word, I felt the weight of ensuring officer safety and de-escalating the situation, a common concern in policing. I truly realized that my language held the power to establish a vital communication bridge between my Asian community of diverse languages with public safety officials who battle this gap. While my experiences in law enforcement first introduced me to service, I ultimately realized that I wanted to lead and serve on a larger scale. As a first-generation college student and the first member of my family to pursue military service, I was drawn to the Marine Corps because of its unwavering commitment to responding to the nation's and world's needs whenever and wherever called upon. The Marine Corps' reputation for maintaining the highest standards of leadership, discipline, and readiness resonated deeply with me. I wanted to be part of an organization that expects excellence from its members and entrusts young leaders with immense responsibility. Through Marine Option NROTC at Virginia Tech, I am preparing to earn a commission as a Marine officer so that I can lead Marines, serve others, and uphold the same values of courage, selflessness, and commitment that inspired me to serve on that day in Dallas, Texas.

My name is Joseph Reavis. I am a third-year undergraduate at the University of Southern California pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with an emphasis in Nanoscience (current 3.52 GPA), and a cadet in the USC Air Force ROTC detachment. The choice to pursue a career in the military was not born from family tradition or circumstance, but rather an idea that I could never ignore: I cannot ask someone to do something I am unwilling to do myself. That guiding principle has shaped every decision I have made in and out of uniform. Within ROTC, I have served as Wing Superintendent, coordinating performance and training feedback for a GMC corps of over 60 cadets, and later as a Training Officer, responsible for designing and executing weekly training plans for a Wing of more than 100 cadets. These positions reach beyond organizational competence, and demand that I earn trust, communicate clearly and hold myself to a higher standard than the standard I set for others. I welcome that accountability, and it is the reason I chose this path. As a cadet, I had the incredible opportunity to attend AM-490 “Freefall” at the United States Air Force Academy, a program that concentrates everything I’ve learned in ROTC into real, high-stakes execution; the margin for hesitation is zero when one is standing in the door of an aircraft 5000 feet in the air. The program sharpened something in me that training alone cannot replicate: the ability to act with precision when the consequences are real. It is the kind of readiness I intend to bring into every leadership role I hold as a commissioned officer. Outside of ROTC, I have forged physical and mental discipline through combat and endurance sports. I trained for two years with USC Mixed Martial Arts and the Wrestling team, disciplines that demand composure when the conditions are worst and everyone wants to go home. Now, I train individually as a triathlete, teaching me a different kind of toughness; one that is built in the long hours on my own where no one is holding me accountable but myself. These endeavors serve not just to make me a better athlete, but also to make me more effective as a leader, and help myself and others to keep going when it would be easier to stop. My work in academics is equally important to me. I conduct quantum mechanics and systems research in the Takahashi Group at USC. The work demands rigorous thinking, tolerance for ambiguity and the willingness to be wrong in the pursuit of something correct. I believe these qualities are directly relevant to military development, as the Air Force increasingly operates at the crossroads of advanced science and national security. I intend to bring a technical foundation and an unmatched sense of responsibility to that space. To me, service is not a detour from a fulfilling life, but rather the whole point of it. I think about the cadets and Airmen I have worked with, the ones who showed up uncertain and left sharper, more intelligent and more capable. That is the kind of work I want to spend my life doing, because nothing else I have done has felt nearly as worthwhile. The support of this organization would allow me to stay fully committed to that: to finish a demanding degree, commission as an officer, and begin repaying what this country has made possible for me.

Growing up, I was always drawn to the idea of "service over self." My parents have told me numerous stories of me from when I was a toddler finding ways to help stray animals, homeless individuals, or doing simple things around the house to help the family. In addition to this, I was deeply in love with everything military. Tanks, planes, history, talking with veterans, I admired all of it. But it wasn't just the cool looking uniform, or the loud roar of a fighter jet that I admired. As I got older, I admired the decision these men and women took to protect others. And eventually, that admiration became a calling. I have chosen a career in the military because I believe in serving something greater than myself. Originally, I wanted to join the army, but as time went on, I set my heart on pursing an officer route in the Air Force, specifically, combat rescue, where every mission is centered on saving lives in the most demanding conditions. Outside of ROTC, athletics have been one of my greatest teachers. I've been heavily involved in sports my entire life. I've played baseball in grade school, track in middle school, and aquatics in highschool. And in doing this, I learned that a strong body is just as important as a strong mind. And as captain of my highschools aquatics team, I learned that leadership is built through consistency and accountability rather than titles. My teammates expected me to set the standard during practices, encourage others during setbacks, and remain composed under pressure. And while very difficult, those experiences ultimately strengthened my communication skills and reinforced the importance of leading by example. I dedicated myself to weightlifting and calisthenics training consistently at the age of 13 for the sole purpose of preparing myself for the hardships that Air Force Pararescue has to offer. I understand that excellence in the military requires discipline long before enlistment, and while ROTC or boot camp may be able to teach you a lot, it is only yourself that can teach you about the importance of discipline. Early training sessions, tracking my progress, and being sore all the time is the last thing I want to do, but those are the moments that matter the most. Showing up consistently has become part of who I am. Additionally, service to my community has also helped to prepare me for a future career in service. Throughout highschool, I have assisted with numerous events such as ceremonies, community events, and volunteer projects. Most of the work came through programs such as Rotary Interact Club, Equity Ambassadors, and AFJROTC. All of these experiences reminded me that meaningful leadership is molded behind the scenes, when barely anyone is watching. Furthermore, I joined Civil Air Patrol in April of 2025 to further develop the leadership, discipline, and service oriented mindset that first inspired me in JROTC. CAP has allowed me to continue growing alongside individuals who share a common commitment to serve the nations communities, and has only reinforced my desires to pursue a career in the Air Force. The military represents more than just a career to me, it is an opportunity to dedicate my abilities to something larger than myself. Every challenge embraced, has strengthened my belief that serving my country is where I can make the greatest impact. I know the path ahead will demand sacrafice, but I will not let anything stray me away from what the purpose I have chosen, even if that means embracing unfamiliar scenarios.

My name is Yeschua Genova. I grew up in Southeastern San Diego and am a first-generation Filipino-American high school student. As I prepare for a military career in the reserves, I reflect on a younger version of myself, bidding emotional goodbyes to an older brother heading to Navy RTC and an older sister leaving for Army BCT, not realizing how much I would later admire them for starting anew in the military while supporting my parents and me along the way. Growing up, I looked up to my siblings, as they guided me through hardships and motivated me to be a better person. Although I rarely saw my brother due to his active duty in the Navy, his commitment to physical fitness inspired me to take on new hobbies like working out, and his diligence in the Navy ultimately influenced my pursuit of a military future. Entering high school, I joined my school’s Army JROTC to strengthen my leadership, public speaking, and interpersonal skills. Although I was apprehensive about the sudden transition from an isolated, post-quarantine lifestyle to a structured and disciplined environment, I worked diligently for four years, climbing the ranks and assuming various leadership positions until I became the Battalion Headquarters Commandant and was ranked as a Major in my fourth year. This role allowed me to lead all eight teams within our Battalion, setting them up for success in competitions, while I also helped lead our Battalion in the Veterans Day Parade and the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. With my aim of serving my country in mind, I aspired to “Seek the mantle of leadership and stand prepared to uphold the Constitution and the American way of Life,” as stated in the JROTC Cadet Creed, which prepared me for my future service. Preparing for my service to my country was no easy task, as I realized I needed to engage in extracurricular activities beyond JROTC to become the best version of myself. With a passion for engineering, I joined my school’s engineering club in my sophomore year and later held leadership positions as secretary and co-president. I also joined our JROTC’s Youth Physical Fitness (Raiders) team that same year and later became the Varsity Executive Officer, helping lead our team to win multiple awards in our Brigade’s Cadet Challenge. Additionally, I became a Lab Assistant at the Elementary Institute of Science, enhancing my leadership skills as I mentored and served as a role model for young children. I introduced these kids to STEM by helping them find their voices in Science, Coding, and Engineering concepts. While there are many more extracurricular activities I haven’t mentioned, I focused on becoming the best version of myself during high school in order to serve my country. Though my siblings initially inspired me to pursue a military career, my passion for STEM and service to my country grew significantly throughout high school as I became involved in JROTC and various extracurriculars. After four years of striving to be the best student, athlete, and cadet I could be, I now see myself in a few months pursuing higher education at UC Berkeley as a mechanical engineer while serving in the Air Force as a reservist with the Aerospace Propulsion AFSC, an opportunity to serve and give back to my country for enabling my success in a competitive world.

Growing up in a military family has shaped my life significantly, making me very accustomed to military culture and lifestyle. My family has a rich history of military service; my dad has dedicated over 30 years to the Navy, my grandfather was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, and two of my great grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II. This background has fueled my ambition to carry on my family's tradition of service, and I am determined to become an officer in the military. One of the advantages of being part of a military family is that I have a clear understanding of both the benefits and challenges of military life. I've seen firsthand what it means to serve this country, not just as a service member but also as the child of one. This experience gives me confidence in my choice to pursue a military career because I feel prepared for what lies ahead. Being in a military family is like walking a tightrope. There are times when the job takes precedence, and other times when family needs to be the main focus. Ultimately, when someone enlists in the military, their whole family is in it together. Service members, their spouses, and kids all recognize that this lifestyle brings its own set of challenges and tough times. However, by supporting each other as a family, the service member can honor their commitment to protect their country and its citizens. The most valuable lesson I've learned from my military upbringing is that joining the military is a lifelong commitment. Even after leaving, the experiences and benefits you gain will remain with you forever. I've also realized that having initiative is crucial in the military. To truly succeed, you need to take charge of your own path. Whether it's aiming for a specific position, seeking a qualification, or working towards a promotion, it's up to you to make it happen. I've embraced this mindset and applied it to my current school life and my future as a college student. Being close to the military has really fueled my interest in aviation. Growing up in a community surrounded by military presence, I've had the chance to see incredible military aircraft up close as they soar through the sky. Witnessing these amazing feats of engineering has shaped my dream of not only becoming a military officer but also a military pilot. Coming from a military family, I've met many inspiring individuals who have served, and their stories motivate me to pursue my own ambitions and strive to be the best I can be. Overall, my military family’s background has significantly impacted my future aspirations. During the summer following my sophomore year, I enrolled in the El Cajon, Ca police teen academy. I was eager to engage in defensive tactics, tour the sheriff's helicopter base, analyze a crime scene, accompany an officer on patrol, perform building searches and high-risk vehicle stops, and observe demonstrations by both SWAT and K9 units. My passion for law enforcement was sparked at the conclusion of this academy, leading me to take the initiative to volunteer as a police cadet. During my time as a El Cajon, CA police cadet for the past 2 years, I gained invaluable experience by accompanying police officers on ride-a longs. This experience greatly enhanced my understanding of police work and has better equipped me for a service to my country.

My name is Anazari Pedro Garcia, I am a seventeen-year-old high school senior. I come from a Mexican decent family. Taking that into consideration I am bilingual, I speak both English and Spanish. I am seen as resourceful by teachers and instructors as am fluent in both languages and am capable of translating. When tasked to do something like translating I make it my priority to make sure that I am understood that way anyone and everyone is successful. I have been part of the JROTC program since freshman year at Dunbar High School. I currently wear the rank of cadet, First Lieutenant. The JROTC program has helped me become a better version of myself and has helped me prepare for my life after high school. For my career, I have decided upon Police Identification and Records Officer. I am confident that I will succeed in this career field because it has always been my passion and when I discovered that I could also take a U.S. Army path I became even more enthusiastic about my choice. I have chosen a military career path because I am determined to improve my leadership skills and I am willing to grow along the way. I was part of the JROTC Raider team freshman year during the spring season. In sophomore year I was on the varsity female team that year we made it to State competitions. Due to personal situations, I was not able to be a part of the Raider team during my junior year but I am now taking part of the Raider team for my last year. I have participated in community service alongside the JROTC program and outside of the program. I have assisted in parking details for home football games. I have assisted at home track and field meets, and I have helped in everything from signing in athletes to helping judges with the event they are at. Although I have always known what I wanted to do after high school I knew I couldn't do it all on my own. I was recommended for the AVID program after freshman year and have been a part of the program ever since sophomore year. During my junior year, I was invited to join the National Honors Society. Upon receiving the invitation I reached out to my teacher and instructor of preference and asked if they would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me. Thanks to my dedication and ethics for my education I was admitted into the National Honors Society with the help of the letters of recommendation that both my teacher and instructor gladly provided.

My name is Hollis Paradis. I grew up in Northern Georgia, and I am currently a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Southern California, studying Business Administration with an emphasis on consulting. I and the people in my major have learned technical and soft skills from our studies that have made us the ideal entry-level associates in the eyes of any recruiting Big 8 consulting firm. Many of my peers will go on to join companies like KPMG or Deloitte following our graduation, where they will work comfortable jobs as data analysts or consultants. However, I will not be taking that route. Although I am a business student at USC, I am also a Marine Option Midshipman in NROTC. Upon graduation, I will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Reflecting on my journey, it's remarkable to consider where I stand today compared to four years ago. At seventeen, I was a junior in high school, and the only extracurricular activity I participated in was football. I had no discernable skills, only one or two AP classes under my belt, and my grades were nothing to gasp at. I was an average football player who seldom played in varsity games. My human capital at that time, compared to some of the other students in my grade, was not up to par. I didn’t necessarily feel that I was lacking in vision; I had aspirations to go to university like my friends did, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant at the time. At home, I had a very unstable family structure. My father walked out on me, and my mother was an unemployed alcoholic who lived off of my grandmother’s social security paychecks. She would often belittle me whenever she was drunk, telling me I was never going to accomplish anything. Which, at the time, meant a lot to seventeen-year-old me; I believed her words as the truth. When I wasn’t being emotionally abused by my mother, I found myself idle, wasting away without any real purpose, using football and other distractions as a means of escape from this unpleasant life I was living. As I became more aware of my situation, I became more inclined to take action. I had no means of paying for college, so I knew the military was an option for me to get out of my home and have a renewed start. I signed up to take a military aptitude test (ASVAB) at school. I scored well enough to receive the attention of recruiters. I leveraged my desire to find a sense of purpose and pursue higher education to apply for an NROTC program, and I was fortunate enough to be selected. Since then, I have learned from my peers and superiors in NROTC that I am and always have been capable of being the best version of myself. Choosing a military career path has afforded me the skills I need to be a successful leader and model person during my service and onward. I joined with the idea that a career in the military could get me out of an undesirable home situation, but I have chosen to stay because of the people. Knowing that I can one day make positive, life-altering impacts on the Marines I will soon lead motivates me to pursue excellence as the Midshipman I am now and the Officer I will soon become.

I have always wanted to be a doctor. I am a cancer survivor and, because of my own experiences in healthcare, have always felt that urge to help others when they are sick and injured. In my senior year of high school, I earned my EMT certification and fell in love with both emergency and out-of-hospital medicine. I also met many paramedics who were or had been military service members and they helped me realize that I wanted to pursue a career in military medicine. I am now a freshman in college at George Washington University. I have not decided on a major yet, but I know it will be either biology or chemistry with a pre-med concentration. I am in Army ROTC with the Hoya Battalion and am a simultaneous membership cadet with the DC Army National Guard. Additionally, I have recently begun working as a special events EMT at American Medical Response and began emergency medical scribe classes through my school. And I’m loving it. My life is so busy - I wake up no later than five at least four mornings a week, I am taking mostly STEM classes this semester, and most months I have drill and ROTC field training. But I love it. I have found my passion. While I did not make the competition team, I practiced with the Ranger Challenge team for several weeks in September and am joining them again this semester as they restart practices. Ranger Challenge taught me how TCCC works, how to carry an injured battle buddy, and how to call a 9-line MEDEVAC request. I also learned non-medical skills, like grenade-throwing, weapons assembly and disassembly, and how to make a Swiss harness and one-rope bridge. I felt alive with purpose during those sessions and was excited to wake up every morning, even as early as it was. I did not make the decision to join ROTC lightly. I knew that, as a woman, I couldn’t and there are obvious risks when joining the military in general. My parents were incredibly reluctant to support my decision, but now that they see me growing and thriving and surrounding myself with equally passionate and dedicated individuals, I think they know it is the right decision as well. They know I want to help people in any way that I can, and they know that this path will allow me to do that. Whether rescuing people in hurricanes or being deployed to treat soldiers in combat, they know that this is my calling.

All my life, I have wanted to serve. Whether through volunteering or leading my AFJROTC Corps as Commander, I have always needed to help people. As an accomplished student and JROTC cadet, I have contemplated what I wanted for my future. I knew I did not want to enlist since I have a strong passion for learning, but I wanted to serve my community and nation in some way. I decided to apply for the Army and Air Force ROTC National Scholarship for High School Students in November of 2022. Within two months, I shortened my mile time from 12 minutes to 7:57, and I went from struggling through 11 pushups to knocking out 35. I have never let struggles or the idea of struggling get in my way. I persevere through any task, no matter how daunting. This attitude will help me through a career as a military officer. In the Army, I will face more challenges than I can begin to comprehend. But, everything I face will shape me into the person I am meant to become. Serving in the military fits into my overall career plan since I perform my best in structured environments, and I have prepared for different leadership roles my entire life. I spent the summer of 2021 volunteering with Cradles to Crayons in Philadelphia, where I led groups of volunteers as they worked in the warehouse. I taught the groups how to do each station, as well as aided them when confused. I was also orchestra president for two years during high school. In this position, I organized events to help the orchestra bond and become closer. This will help me in my military career since every unit needs to be close. When everyone is working towards a shared goal, it is important to have strong communication and a sense of familiarity. When everyone is a stranger, then communication is lost and the mission is at risk of failing. I thrive in situations where I collaborate with others, and I look forward to collaboration in the military. I attended a leadership camp called Camp Neidig in the summer of 2022. In this camp where I knew no one, I was surrounded by other prospective leaders who had to work together to communicate and complete shared tasks and goals. It was in this camp that I was able to differentiate between a natural and influential leader and one who is only in charge to boost their ego. I have learned skills that will help me as both a leader and a follower in the future, positions that I imagine myself in when eventually serving my country. The most challenging experience I have had as a leader comes from being a section leader in the marching band. During the outdoor season of the band, I was in a section consisting of six senior students and three underclassmen. I was selected for the position of section leader by the adult leadership, despite the other seniors trying out for the position. I struggled during the season with people contesting me for my position and overstepping their roles as members of the ensemble. I had to diffuse situations of verbal abuse of senior members onto the underclassmen. I found it challenging to balance friendship with leadership and the delegation of tasks. Despite these challenges, I overcame all of the struggles. Through my devotion and persistence, the section is stronger than in years past. I know that the skills I acquired of delegation, diffusion, self-awareness, and integrity will only make me a stronger leader in my military career.

I chose the Army ROTC program because it provided me the opportunity to commission in the United States Army while simultaneously continuing my education toward a bachelor's degree. Knowing the expectations of the Army, I was eager to be surrounded by an environment where I was constantly pushed to be the best version of myself led by the values of Duty, Honor, & Country. Additionally, Army ROTC offers a distinctive leadership experience that provides a military lifestyle promoting discipline, courage, and comradery. The standards manifested by the Army Values present an expectation of performing every task, whether athletic or academic with complete dedication ingrained within each cadet. Serving as a military officer gives me a chance to give back to the country that offered my family refuge and safety in the land of opportunity. Upon the realization that my parents sacrificed everything back in the Philippines to come to America, I took on an internal debt that I'm paying back in the form of my service to the United States Armed Forces. My wish to become an Army Officer stems from my desire to be part of an entity serving a greater purpose in our world. Beyond ROTC involvement, I have made an effort to participate in numerous volunteer activities that would further prepare me for service to my country. Starting, I am passionate about ministry work and taking the initiative to contribute to the communities that I share my faith with. Through this, I have been voluntarily serving as a ministry leader with a variety of organizations from the Cal State Long Beach InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as a small group leader to Hillsong Church Los Angeles as a youth ministry leader. This prepares me for my service because it entails the similar initiative, drive, and passion required to serve and set up a successful future for the oncoming generation. Time is precious, but more importantly, learning how to use the time for general productivity and the welfare of others is equally as precious. The Army Values from duty to selfless service are manifested within my participation in activities outside of ROTC. On top of this, my personal growth coincides with the growth and wisdom that I share through sermons, worship, and discussions that I have with these ministries and the students I serve. As I continue to train and work with more organizations, I will continue to gain experience that will assist myself and others quite practically in the real world and the United States Army the day that I get the privilege to lead soldiers.

A military career has been my goal since I was a little girl. When I got to visit my dad’s work and see him work on planes for the United States Air Force, I was fascinated by what I saw. Growing up and hearing him get thanked for his service made me proud of him. As I kept growing I realized that it was more than a “thank you”, it was an honor and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. My dad would take me to family nights in the unit, where they would have family, friends, food, and most importantly planes. As I learned about the airlift mission I was exposed to a new perspective of the Air Force. I was quickly learning that the military is not just the cool version that we see in movies, but it's a vital tool to help people around the world. When I finally got to sit in the cockpit of a military-owned C-130, it confirmed what I already knew, I wanted to be a pilot for the Air Force, now more than ever. This dream is slowly starting to become my reality. Using the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), an internship with the pilots, a personal trainer, and exposure to military life daily, I have learned more about how military life will be as a pilot. Leadership in JROTC has taught me to be a leader and to not be afraid to speak my mind. The corps has taught me that by giving me leadership positions, one of those being one of the top four. Having the experience of actually leading people will help prepare me for real military leadership. The semester-long internship with C-130 pilots has taught me vital information I need to know going into the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), like field training and the Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM). The pilots also taught me about the jobs they have when they aren’t flying and showed me what their day-to-day experience was. I got to learn about some documents they use and how to read them, and they let me keep an old one so I can study. My trainer helps prepare me for physical training in ROTC and the military. She helps me do this by working on specific areas that appear on the physical training test. We work together to build strength and endurance so I can exceed the standards of the physical fitness test. Being exposed to military life constantly has prepared me for military life the best. I have been surrounded by military terminology and morale for my entire life. Seeing how active-duty personnel and veterans all interact on a personal level is something that inspires me. Everyone in the military is so friendly, despite the serious-looking nature of it on television. The environment is one where I feel like I can succeed, while also being true to myself, and that’s what I plan to do. It will be a challenge, but so is everything else, and I’m ready for it.

It is a privilege for students to attend a good college and pursue their dreams of helping their families or communities. Because of the high cost of college education, it is commonly referred to as a "privilege." I come from a low-income family where only my father and I support each other. I want to use my college education to give back to the community by improving education for children and teaching them about the real world. Showing children or even high school students the situation they may be in and providing better leadership to help them succeed. I would describe myself as quiet and understanding. I dedicated myself to my education very seriously and wasted no time reaching my goals. I will not pursue a military career but plan to work with different programs that help our veterans! As a first-generation student accepted to the University of San Diego, I believe I can give back to my community after completing my education. My major is Anthropology, but I hope to change it to Education soon. I enjoy teaching children and creating an environment in which they can grow as individuals while also learning what to expect in the real world so that they can better their communities. When I start university, I want to be able to finish without having to worry about paying anything. My father cannot do enough to help me because he suffers from schizophrenia. I look after him now and help him when he needs it. Continuing my education will help me succeed and inspire future generations to strive for better opportunities. My education has become a very successful and enjoyable endeavor for me. I worked very hard to achieve such wonderful results! I am the Battalion Commander of the Cabrillo High School NJROTC unit, commanding over 120 students and encouraging them to become better leaders. I have only involved myself with NJROTC but being in this program has helped me gain experience in different organizations with volunteering. I hope to help the community and especially our veterans and other organizations that are involved with the military. I have a GPA of 4.13 and will graduate as Valedictorian from Cabrillo High School. I will work harder to improve my education and serve my community to help younger generations better this society. I strive for a better outcome when I realize my dreams and begin to assist other children in achieving their goals and becoming better citizens by helping others as well.

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst perusing a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders with a minor in Business. I am currently in Air Force ROTC along with being enlisted in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. I have a long heritage of service dating back a century; my brother is currently enlisted in the Marine Corps, my father is an Air Force veteran, my grandfather served as a medic during Vietnam, and my great grandfathers served in WWII. However, that’s not the deciding factor in my ambition to serve our country. As a child I loved watching military movies, some of my favorites include American Sniper, Hacksaw Ridge, and Saving Private Ryan. I idolized the protagonists in those stories, and at some point, I decided “why can’t that be me?”. After enlisting, as I made my way through initial entry training and checking into my unit, I realized like many things my expectations did not mirror reality. Over the last three years since enlisting I’ve experienced poor leadership and many controversies. I’ve seen many Non-Commissioned Officers receive UCMJ due to sexual harassment of incoming soldiers, I’ve seen leaders fight with each other in front of troops, and I’ve experienced the effects poor planning and time management have on training exercises making them ineffective. My perception of the military has more than been altered since joining, and with that my reason to serve has evolved. Through many experiences since being in the ranks, I believe a strong leader is someone who can effectively communicate in a timely manner; someone who can cultivate a culture of esprit de corps and a culture where safety procedures are followed and enforced. I believe a leader should also take the time to get to know the lives of their subordinates and be able to share parts of their own life to build camaraderie, trust, and unit cohesion. Most importantly, a leader must hold themselves to the highest standard of morals and professionalism. With future war with a peer adversary on the horizon, the military must be prepared, organized and undivided. We are in dire need of new effective leaders able to adapt to the changing climate as recruiting and retention rates are at an all-time low, and new light is being shed on more and more issues in the ranks every day. The reason I decided to serve as an officer is because I believe I can be that positive difference. Over the past few years, I’ve showcased my leadership potential in various ways. While in advanced individual training, I finished as my platoon’s honor graduate, I received two Army Achievement Medals for exceptional service, and I was my battalion’s soldier of the year in 2022. I additionally served on multiple in-state missions and have proven leadership potential. With a position in the state education office left unfilled for the past few years, navigating education recourses for the national guard has been challenging. I have taken the initiative to mentor new soldiers coming into my unit through the process of applying for and accessing tuition waivers and GI Bills. I have no plans of slowing down either. Within the next few months, I am projected to make sergeant. Before commissioning into the Air Force in a few years, I plan to use that position to help foster an environment for new soldiers that I would have liked to see when joining. I believe through my past experiences and my ambitions I am very prepared for a future career in service to our country.