Manatee County Junior ROTC cadets receive $14,500 in scholarships
BRADENTON -- Exceeding expectations.
That could be said of all four of the Manatee County Junior ROTC cadets chosen to receive $2,000 scholarships Wednesday from the Bradenton Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America.
The Bradenton Chapter also exceeded expectations by bumping up the awards to $3,000 per student this year.
Chapter President Don Courtney made the surprise announcement during an awards banquet at Renaissance on 9th, attended by the cadets, their Junior ROTC advisers and families.
In all, the Bradenton Chapter presented $12,000 to the four cadets, plus another $2,500 divided between five other students for a total of
$14,500.
Superintendent of Schools Diana Greene, daughter of an U.S. Air Force veteran, and wife of a U.S. Navy veteran, offered heartfelt thanks to the Bradenton chapter for instilling leadership values in young people.
"Thank you for your service. It is an honor to be here among heroes. I am humbled that I am standing before you," Greene said.
Addressing veterans and cadets alike, Greene spoke of the importance of the values represented by the Pledge of Allegiance.
"You have a responsibility, young people, to carry the ideals of America forward. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," she said. "That will remain true, only if we pass the legacy along. I challenge you to carry on the legacy of what the Pledge of Allegiance stands for."
Scholarships of $3,000 were awarded to:
Cadet Corbin Wood, Manatee High School, the school's battalion commander. He plans to major in chemistry and pursue a minor in either African studies, theology or English. He has been accepted to University of Florida and Florida State University.
Cadet Sarah Dal-Tuckerman, Bayshore High School, executive officer for the JROTC battalion. She has been accepted to Florida Atlantic University and plans to major in music or marine biology.
Cadet Jessica Krumwiede, Braden River High School, battalion commander. She plans to be a registered nurse and has been accepted to Manatee Technical College.
Cadet Karlee Roca, Palmetto High School, battalion commander. Roca plans to graduate from high school with an associate's degree. She will attend the University of Central Florida or the University of Tampa through Army ROTC.
The Bradenton chapter awarded $500 scholarships to:
Tyler Randell, Manatee High School.
Esstefani Olvera, Bayshore High School.
Dayle Cortes, Braden River High School.
Rachel Ames, Palmetto High School.
Geovanni Suplee-Thomas, Southeast High School.
James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter @jajones1.
This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 11:58 PM with the headline "Manatee County Junior ROTC cadets receive $14,500 in scholarships ."