Tommy Gorman Scholarship Testimonial

I recently looked back at the goal sheet that I wrote my Freshman year in SFC Phillips’s LET I class, and did it ever look different compared to where I am now. I never would have thought as an incoming Freshman that there would be an Army scholarship in my future, but JROTC helped me realize this goal. There is no other organization in high school that offers the opportunities JROTC presents, from community service to color guard and everything in-between. Personally, I took advantage of as many clubs and events that JROTC offered over my four years at Naples High, and all of my participation payed off in the end. I could be myself in JROTC, I could be the leader I wanted to be, and the JROTC cadre helped shape my leadership style into my own niche. During my time in JROTC, I was a Company Commander, Color Guard Commander, Drill Team member, Honor Guard member, Awarded Presidential Volunteer Service Award, and Battalion Executive Officer. I truly loved every second of my time in JROTC at Naples High, and the occasional stressful situation in leadership positions tested my mettle not just as a leader, but as a student. I now am the proud recipient of a 3-year Advanced Designation Scholarship from the Army, and I attribute my success to the help and experience that Naples High JROTC gave me. I just recently contracted into the Army as an ROTC Cadet at Hampden-Sydney College, a satellite school of the University of Richmond Spider Battalion. Over the summer I completed the Accelerated Basic Training course (Basic Camp) at Fort Knox this summer and learned my basic soldier skills. I was recently awarded a Cultural Understanding & Language Proficiency (CULP) deployment to Mozambique for this upcoming summer from Cadet Command. Currently, I am pursuing a degree in either Theatre or Foreign Affairs at H-SC, and I plan to graduate in the Summer of 2020. Upon graduation, I strive to commission as an active duty aviation officer. In the end though, I want to become a Major League Baseball play-by-play broadcaster, LTC Garrah knows this fun fact. Ultimately, I cannot fully express in words how thankful I am for the help JROTC provided to me in earning this scholarship and pursuing my goals of serving my country. JROTC is truly more than a class, it is an experience.