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Eight high school students within the Recruiting Station Denver area of operations were awarded the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Scholarship for the 2018 calendar year. RS Denver covers approximately 217,000 square miles, encompassing Colorado, Wyoming, and parts of South Dakota and Nebraska.
Awardees of the scholarship include Cole Bragstad, who will be attending San Diego State University, Oliver Campeau, who will be attending The George Washington University, Sebastian Campos, who will be attending the University of Washington, Jacob Hinson, who will be attending the University of Colorado, Jessica Nelson, who will be attending Oregon State University, James Pennington, who will be attending Virginia Military Institute, Lance Cpl. Jeremias Pimentel, who will be attending the University of Colorado, and Jonathan Sanchez, who will be attending the University of Nebraska.
Among the accomplished young people is Lance Cpl. Pimentel, who has been in the Marine Corps Reserves for more than a year, is a field artillery fire control Marine with Quebec Battery, 5th Battalion, 14th Marines, and is currently serving in Korea. Pimentel will be a midshipmen at the NROTC unit at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Another notable scholarship awardee is Jonathan Sanchez, from Cody, Wyoming, who will be the first Wyoming resident to receive the NROTC Scholarship in recent years.
I’m very proud of him, it’s a great opportunity and he’s worked hard and sacrificed for it,” said Courtney Hooper, mother of Jonathan Sanchez. “I knew he was going into the Marine Corps regardless, but he wanted to go to college first. I’m very proud that he’s serving our country and will be able to go to college.”
Hooper mentioned that she knows her son thrives when he challenges himself to improve, and stated that as a driving force for his achievements so far.
“It all stems back from how he was raised, he’s always strived to be the best,” said Hooper. “I think this is the path he’s meant to be on. He wanted to be the best and go out and show everybody what he could achieve.”
The Marine Corps awards the NROTC Marine Scholarship to an allotted number of students each year. It pays the full college tuition, including $750 per academic year for textbooks and other expenses.
“It’s always awesome for any parent to know their kid will get a full ride scholarship to a great college,” said Hooper. “It’s wonderful that we don’t have to worry about anything financial. It’s an awesome feeling to know my son accomplished this.”
Hooper mentioned herself and her husband, who served in the military for 17 years, as sources of inspiration for her sons.
“My boys have always looked up to a great person, a hero,” said Hooper. “I had him very young and I worked hard to get my education and to show him the right path. I hope my sense of hard work has shown them that when you work hard, you can accomplish great things.”
Applicants interested in the NROTC scholarship must first meet eligibility requirements. Applicants must score at least a 22 on the ACT, 1000 on the SAT or a 74 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. Applicants also must achieve a 200 on the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test, which consists of a three-mile run, crunches, and pull-ups.
Students who accept an NROTC scholarship participate in a multi-year program that runs concurrently with their normal educational course of study. In addition to a normal academic workload leading to a Bachelor’s degree, NROTC students attend classes in Naval Science, participate in unit drill and physical training. Students are also taught the Marine Corps leadership principles in order to prepare them for becoming a military officer. During the summer break between school years, NROTC students participate in a variety of training courses. Upon graduation, students are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Marine Corps.
“I didn’t realize how prestigious this was,” said Hooper. “It shows that hard work pays off. If you want something, go work for it. That’s what he did, and if there is anyone striving for this, I would tell them to go out and work for it.”
Those interested in applying for the NROTC scholarship should talk to their local Marine Corps recruiter, or contact Capt. Joshua Miller, the RS Denver executive officer, at joshua.miller@marines.usmc.mil.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2018 13:26 |
| Story ID: | 276332 |
| Location: | DENVER, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 389 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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