This year, there are 23 graduating seniors in JROTC, and three of them earned the privilege of being student officers.

Battalion commander Jennifer Nguyen is the highest ranking cadet, followed by Executive Officer Jonathon Hughes and Command Sergeant Major Wilson Ortiz.

Each of the three leaders plan on attending ROTC in college and then entering a part of the military.

Nguyen hopes to attend either the Naval Academy or West Point, which are two of the top military schools in the nation.

“Since freshman year I just put my best foot forward in everything I did and, you know, just tried my hardest,” Nguyen said.

The three leaders are excited to take charge and improve the face of JROTC this year.

“The communities around Wake Forest have always looked towards our JROTC program as a very good program,” Ortiz said. “Always commending us for everything we do, so I’m hoping to build on top of that and win the best organization of the year award again this year.”

Nguyen, Hughes and Ortiz hope that their leadership skills will be passed on to the future classes of JROTC.

“I’d like to inspire younger students by leaving a good example, teaching them principles of leadership and what a good leader really is,” Ortiz said. “Just kind of how to put others before yourself, this whole concept of selfless service is something big in JROTC.”

Hughes believes that JROTC can give you much more than a future career in the military.

“The best part would be the maturity that it gives you,” Hughes said. “Also gaining leadership skills.”