On May 2, Rock Ridge held a ceremony to honor seniors choosing to follow a military path after their high school graduation. The ceremony included seniors going into the Navy, Army National Guard, Air Force, and those choosing ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) programs during college. 

The event, held in the cafeteria, involved military recruiters, administrators, counselors, seniors signing, and their family and friends. It highlighted students’ honor, duty, and patriotism to their country as they prepare to embark on a path of armed services. 

Although only in its second year, counselors have worked with the students since their junior year to get them on the path they plan to take. Counselor Ashlee Erestain was one of them. “We try to capture students who indicate they want to go to the military after high school in junior year,” Erestain said. “I keep in touch with them, making sure they are supported in that decision, taking them with recruiters, making sure they have their ASVAB done, making sure they are propped and ready for that.” ASVAB is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which tests a person’s suitability in the armed forces and matches their abilities to specific civilian or military jobs.

Senior Lilia Hammadi has wanted to be part of the military since she was 12 years old, but to get to where she is, she needed to work for it. “I had to develop the grades for it,” Hammadi said. “I wanted to do STEM, so I took a lot of math classes, a lot of AP classes, and honors classes in my freshman and sophomore years. I did a lot of volunteer hours. I participated in a lot of clubs, and I’m in the National Honor Society, so that gave me a lot of opportunities to get volunteer hours. I also did a lot of stuff outside, like extracurriculars. I did MMA, I’m in a military program called Sea Cadets, which also really helped.” As part of the ROTC program, Hammadi is also required and under contract to be in the Navy for five years after she graduates from college. 

For students going straight into the military, the process is different. For senior John Lunn, he has worked with his sponsor, Staff Sergeant Ryan Haley, for a year now. The process involved Haley getting Lunn ready to enlist and start his career. “The recruiter’s job is to qualify my applicant and to work with him to see what kind of jobs they are eligible for and what is available in the state of Virginia,” Haley said. “So we are in that process right now, but we got him to get a great ASVAB score and just get through his medical history. Hopefully, he’ll be able to enlist in August.” According to Haley, the process to enlist can be as short as 2 weeks to even months. 

In the end, recruiters, friends, and even family members got the chance to see the seniors start along a new path in their lives. Until then, they are celebrating their accomplishments until graduation day.

The following is a list of the seniors who signed and their committed paths:

Gallery • 6 Photos

Aline Gonzalez

Following the path of ROTC, senior Lilia Hammadi signs her certificate of recognition as she prepares for George Washington University’s program. “I’m doing it because I thought it was a really good path to take,” Hammadi said. “I just wanted to have a lot of opportunities open to me after college. I also thought it was an honorable thing to do, you know, I love America.”

Ricardo Diaz – U.S. Air Force

Lily Hammadi – George Washington University ROTC

John Lunn – Army National Guard

Ethan Peralta – George Washington University ROTC

Tso Rakotoarivony – U.S. Air Force

Lee Wadman – U.S. Army