Three Air Force, Army and Navy/Marine college students have been selected as Navy Federal Credit Union’s ROTC All-American Scholarship Students of the Year.
The program, which began six years ago, honors the nation’s best and brightest ROTC seniors in all branches of military service. The Students of the Year each receive a $6,500 scholarship, and their school’s booster club or student fund receives a $5,000 donation.
A panel of judges selected the recipients based on the pillars of the ROTC program: Leadership, military excellence, scholarship and service.
“We’re honored to recognize the exemplary leadership skills, community service and academic achievements of these cadets and midshipman,” said Jamey Shuls, Air Force veteran and a judge for the program. “In and out of the classroom, it’s remarkable to see the hard work and dedication they’ve put into reaching their goals.”
Representing Stanford University’s Air Force ROTC unit, Athena Chang is studying mechanical engineering and computer science. She’s senior vice president of Stanford Women in Business and a research assistant at Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
“I really think that a core part of leadership is being exposed to a lot of different experiences,” said Chang. “Being able to understand people’s differences will create a more empathetic environment. It shapes people’s perspectives and challenges new ideas.”
She also held the highest position in the cadet wing as the Wing Commander during the Fall 2022 semester. Chang hopes to get a Euro NATO Jet Propulsion Training slot to begin her career as a fighter pilot.
Paul Kealy of the University of Oklahoma’s Army ROTC unit is studying French and serves as a Cadet Platoon Leader. Before joining the University of Oklahoma’s Army ROTC program, he was a non-commissioned officer in the 75th Ranger Regiment and led a five-man infantry fire team of Rangers in combat.
“Deploying for me has had an impact because being over there, seeing what being in the Army is about and what we have to do, has stayed with me and helped me keep motivation,” said Kealy.
Kealy also carried a 45-pound pack through the Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2-mile hike through New Mexico to honor American and Filipino prisoners of war in the Pacific theater of WWII — a challenge he plans to complete again. Kealy is also involved in his community and cares deeply about supporting military families.
Sirius James of the University of Washington’s Navy/Marines ROTC unit is studying political science and naval science. He has held several leadership roles within his unit, including battalion physical training instructor, regulation drill, platoon commander, company commander and squad leader.
James also developed a six-month training plan for Marine Option midshipmen at the University of Washington which helps to address and overcome gaps in the current training curriculum. He’s worked with Treehouse for Kids, a program fighting child hunger in the greater Seattle area, as well as Green Seattle, a forest restoration program.
“What motivates me to pursue the military career isn’t necessarily for myself and what it can provide me, but more what I can provide for our battalion,” he said. “Being able to go and essentially care and lead them is what motivates me every day. There’s no greater honor.”
To learn more about the scholarship program, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.