Osan Middle High School AFJROTC students earn scholarships

Two Osan Middle High School AFJROTC students have received competitive scholarships to continue their education.

Sarah Carswell
Senior Air Force JROTC cadet

Sarah Carswell, Senior Air Force JROTC cadet, has been named a recipient of the first-ever AFJROTC Character-in-Leadership Scholarship (J-100).

“I feel honored to have been granted such an opportunity,” Carswell said. “It almost feels like a dream. This scholarship will help me so much in pursuing my dream career and aspirations and I could not be any more excited for the future.”

Carswell is among 100 cadets to receive a full four-year ROTC college scholarship, including room and board, at select Minority Serving Institutions (MSI), Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). Her top college choice is the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where she hopes to study biology and minor in Korean or Marine Biology.

“My career aspiration is to be an Orthopedic surgeon in the Air Force with this degree,” Carswell said. “Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed of working as a surgeon at Tripler hospital in Honolulu. Tripler has saved my brother's life when he was younger, and my family and I have been forever grateful for the hospital and the island for giving my brother a second chance in life. The hospital and Hawaii means a lot to my family, and my aspiration is to become a surgeon to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much.”

Lt Col (ret.) Ted Ball, AFJROTC KO-951 Senior Aerospace Science Instructor, said Carswell is an outstanding student and cadet possessing all the qualities we are looking for in our future leaders including dynamic leadership skills, high ethical standards, and communication skills.

“Sarah takes charge with exceptional results,” Ball said. “She was selected by her peers to be Cadet Commander our JROTC unit. Her ability to lead and adapt during periods of remote and modified classroom learning has been very impressive. She has the academic, extracurricular involvement, motivation, and personal qualities needed to succeed in college.”

Madison Villanueva
Junior Air Force JROTC cadet

Madison Villanueva, Junior Air Force JROTC cadet, has been selected to participate in the Flight Academy Scholarship Program during the summer of 2021 at Purdue University. The Flight Academy allows aspiring young aviators to get their private pilot’s Certification, at no cost, during an eight-week summer course at partner universities.

“Being able to attend the #1 flight school in the nation is a huge blessing,” Villanueva said. “When looking at which school I had the best chance of getting into, Purdue seemed far from my reach – which is why my acceptance there means so much more to me. My hope for those watching my journey is that they too see that with the right people and right motivation, nothing is impossible.”

Villanueva is one of 315 Air Force Junior ROTC cadets around the world to receive the scholarship from Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL. The scholarship covers transportation, room and board, academics and flight hours required to potentially earn a private pilot license.

Villanueva said he hopes to attend a military academy and study engineering.

“After the Academy my goal would be to join the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) as a Combat Rescue Officer,” Villanueva said. “Afterwards, I would likely use my degree in engineering to pursue a robotics related career.”

Lt Col (ret.) Ted Ball, AFJROTC KO-951 Senior Aerospace Science Instructor, said Villanueva is an exceptional cadet who displays impressive leadership abilities and communication skills.

“Madison’s hard work and dedication were instrumental in completing all the tasks and testing requirements needed to meet the Flight Academy acceptance for admission,” Ball said. “He will be a great pilot with many great accomplishments in the future.”

About DoDEA

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the United States that serve children of military families.