Posted on Feb 28, 2014 in
HIGH SCHOOL HOT SHOT
Samantha Guerrero
By Lauren Dante Benoit-
A senior at Travis High School, Samantha Guerrero has thrived during her last four years in grade school. The past few years of her life have been quite life changing and have aptly prepared her for the future. Samantha has excelled in the classroom while also learning important values through the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) program at Travis.
In the classroom, Samantha is a bright student. She will graduate in the top five percent of her class. While ROTC is definitely one of her favorite classes, Samantha also enjoys United States History. “The best thing that I learned in U.S. History class was how to learn while still having fun,” said Samantha. “Our teacher, Mr. Householder, told jokes that related to the content and gave us neat ways to remember things. I learned how to relax when approaching academics.”
Samantha is a serious student and her grades are very important to her. Due to her success in the classroom, Samantha is a member of the Spanish National Honor Society and National Honor Society. Through Spanish National Honor Society, she has the opportunity to volunteer for cultural events in the area. In National Honor Society, Samantha assists with service projects such as blood drives, food drives and Tiger Camp, the freshman orientation program.
Samantha fondly remembers her freshman year of high school because it was the first year of Travis’ JROTC program, as well as her first year to experience JROTC. Even though she had plenty of opportunities to become involved in other activities, Samantha chose ROTC because she wanted to be a part of something different and exciting.
In ROTC, Samantha is Commander of the female color guard, Co-Commander of the shooting team and academic team and a member of the armed drill team and the physical training (PT) team. She was ranked nationally among other Marine Corps schools on the Youth Physical Fitness Test. At the State Drill Meet last year, she won first place for most push-ups and second place for the most crunches in the female division. In color guard, her team won second overall at state.
Although physical training is a large component of being in ROTC, there is a great deal of classroom learning involved in being a member of ROTC. Every semester, Samantha is enrolled in a ROTC class that teaches basic drill, proper uniform wear, the history of the Marine Corps, the chain of command and other basic military information.
This year, Samantha was selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security, held in Washington D.C., after submitting a winning essay. While there, she had the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery and actually lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Samantha has truly excelled in all aspects of ROTC; therefore, she has been named a Cadet Commanding Officer, the highest-ranking officer in her unit of 120 people. “Through my role as a leader, I have learned how to exemplify the Marine Corps core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment,” said Samantha. “I have been challenged beyond what I thought was my limit, but I have learned to be true to myself, loyal to others, disciplined and confident in my abilities.”
For the last few years, the discipline and confidence that Samantha learned in ROTC has helped her flourish as a volunteer for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Growing up, Samantha always enjoyed going to the museum because she was interested in paleontology and dinosaurs. As a teenager, Samantha is able to ignite that same passion in the kids who visit the museum.
It is no surprise that after high school Samantha plans to pursue a degree in the sciences. She was recently awarded the Navy ROTC Marine Option Scholarship and has chosen to attend Texas A&M University (TAMU). After completing her degree at TAMU, Samantha would like to become an officer in the Marine Corps.
Congratulations Samantha on your success in high school! Your passion and dedication is quite admirable. We salute you!
