Willard NJROTC Cadets awarded $600,000 in scholarships

Five senior Willard NJROTC cadets were awarded scholarships collectively worth $600,000 during Willard High School’s scholarship night on Tuesday, May 7, according to information provided by Hallie Vaughn, public affairs officer for the Willard NJROTC program. All five cadets spent four years in the Willard High School NJROTC program.
Navy ROTC scholarships were awarded to Cadet Commander Colton Key and Cadet Lt. Commander Elizabeth Bein.
Key plans to attend the University of Missouri; he told Vaughn that his time with JROTC has prepared him for the road ahead.
“This program has given me opportunities to grow my leadership abilities and confidence,” he said. “This program has also given me the opportunity to meet amazing people and create unforgettable memories.”
For her part, Bein is going to attend the University of Maine in Orono, where she will pursue a degree in biology. In addition to her time in the JROTC program; she was also a US naval sea cadet.
“This program has really set me off in the direction that I am meant to be going in,” she told Vaughn. “I have met several people in this unit that have influenced me tremendously and I am proud to say that I can consider them as friends.”
Cadet Lt. Commander Ian Lacy received a United States Air Force Scholarship. He will be attend- ing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall, where he will study electrical engineering.
“The program helped make me into who I am, and helped me get into MIT and get an Air Force ROTC scholarship,” he told Vaughn.
Cadet Lt. Commander Madison Young and Cadet Ensign Savanna Slack both received National    Guard    scholar - ships. Vaughn stated that Young will begin basic training with the Army National Guard on July 8. Afterwards, she will begin classes at Missouri State University, where she will study biology and pre-med, while minoring in military science so she can receive a commission in the National Guard. She wants to be an OB/ GYN in her civilian career.
Young credits the JROTC program with giving her the direction she needed to focus on her future.
“The unit has been very influential,” she told Vaughn. “It has helped motivate me to keep me on my path of following my dreams for my future.”
Slack has also enlisted with the Army National Guard and will begin her basic training on Sept. 3. She plans to study criminal justice at Missouri State University and become a police officer.
Like Young, Slack believes her time in the JROTC unit has given her the skills necessary to help her achieve her goals.
“The program has influenced me to become a better leader and has reminded me to stay on a good path and follow my dreams of being in the military,” she told Vaughn. “I have had my mind set on going into the military ever since seventh grade, and the program has helped me tremendously and has made my dream for my future become a reality.”