CHRIS SIMONE AWARDED NATIONAL NROTC SCHOLARSHIP

AFJROTC to NROTC - My Journey

By: Christopher Simone

I began my journey with our Air Force JROTC Unit here at SJV in the first semester of my junior year. I was given the honor of being the first Corps Command Chief of our Unit, with a rank of Chief Master Sergeant. Just getting off the ground, we established our unit within our school and the community at large. We got our feet wet by serving our veterans, marching in parades, and gaining an overall understanding of what it means to be a cadet. At the end of the year, I was awarded the Special Forces Association Chapter XIX (NJ) Award of Academic Excellence for JROTC. 

In my senior year, I was given the opportunity to be the Commander of our Unit. I began the year as a Major. As of Jan. 15th, the date of our Officer promotion cycle, I was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This year, we have really gotten immersed in our Leadership Development Requirements (LDRs). Drill Team, Physical Fitness/Raider team, Awareness Presentation Team (APT), Drone Team, and Color/Honor Guard are all critical components of our AFJROTC program here at SJV. They promote teamwork, discipline, and leadership skills. 

Ultimately, our program here at SJV has given me many opportunities to grow personally. This first-of-its-kind program, a private Catholic high school with a JROTC unit, allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and become an individual who knows precisely when to follow and when to step up and lead. For example, earlier this year, I had the privilege of speaking to the entire school at our annual SJV AFJROTC Introduction Ceremony. This event, along with other weekly meetings, significantly improved my public speaking skills. I learned what it means to stay disciplined through our physical fitness and ceremonial drill sequences. The AFJROTC program here at SJV propelled me into the man I am today. Our program was a significant factor in the National NROTC Scholarship I was awarded.

I began the application process for a National NROTC scholarship in the summer before my senior year. This was a very lengthy process. It involved multiple supplemental essays, a physical fitness assessment, an interview with a Naval Officer, three recommendations from teachers who teach core classes, my whole high school transcript, my SAT score, and a list of all extracurricular and volunteer activities. Now that I’ve been awarded the NROTC scholarship to Villanova, a complete medical exam will be conducted in the next few weeks as a part of the finalization process. 

To start my NROTC journey, I will be off to Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois this summer for a 2.5-week-long New Student Indoctrination (NSI). There, I will learn the basics of what it is to be a sailor while maintaining excellent physical and disciplinary standards. Upon completion, I will officially be considered a Midshipman, which is the NROTC/U.S. Naval Academy term for a cadet. I will then report to Villanova and join the battalion formally after a rigorous training process of their own. Every summer, all NROTC Midshipmen go on a Summer Cruise. These cruises allow midshipmen to get hands-on experience in the fleet and provide an idea of what career path they may want to pursue upon commissioning. I plan to major in Political Science at Villanova and explore a career in Naval aviation after graduating.