On January 28, senior Liam McMaster received a full ride scholarship to any university of his choice. This award was granted through the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, or the AFJROTC, and is awarded to high school seniors enrolled in the Air Force JROTC who are recognized for their astounding leadership. The scholarship provides four years of fully paid tuition, and ten thousand dollar allowance for housing, with additional monthly and annual stipends. I was granted the opportunity to ask Liam about this award.
When asked about how he feels about earning this award, he responded with “I am incredibly excited and glad to have received one as it is proof of my hard work and dedication to academics and athletics throughout my four years in high school. He first joined JROTC in his sophomore year because of the extra credit slot since it was a brand new class that he might enjoy and would help him grow. To him, being a part of JROTC is an experience different from a normal classroom, involving a style known as the “Cadet Run CORP”, where the students are the backbone of the class and hold responsibility for teaching the new and upcoming students what to expect and to prepare them for the future in the class. He further elaborates by explaining that “JROTC offers a structured environment that focuses on the development of discipline, teamwork, leadership, and character, each playing an important role in the students’ time while in JROTC and in the school’s community.”
The scholarship will definitely affect his financial life in the sense that it will provide him with the freedom to focus on his studies and activities, creating the best environment possible to succeed while in college with little worry about monetary issues. As for college, he intends on attending Embry Riddle University in Prescott, as it is “one of the leading engineering schools in the nation with some of the best amenities and resources that a student could want or need. ROTC detachment produces most Air Force Pilot’s in the nation, and I believe that it can create a pathway to my future goal of being a pilot in the Air Force.” If he ends up attending Embry Riddle, he will be pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering because he has “always found working with numbers to be easier than working with words, as well as it is known as a Tier One major which helps increases my chances of getting my desired job.”
To anyone interested in joining JROTC, Liam notes that “showing up with a good attitude and the willingness to work hard will help you exceed during your time in JROTC. In my opinion, taking the first step in trying the course is the most difficult as you will be put in a situation foreign to any you have been a part of previously. If you keep an open mind, you will easily be able to go through the course.” Congratulations to Liam for this amazing accomplishment. Go Knights!
