Chapter Awards $33,000 in ROTC Scholarships

In April, the chapter recognized 21 of the most outstanding ROTC cadets and midshipmen from across the Northeast with $1,500 scholarships at its annual ROTC scholarship ceremony held in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic at the Boston Marriott Hotel. First Lt. Calean Campbell, USAF, master of ceremonies, welcomed all and introduced the keynote speaker, Lt. Gen. James "Jim" Slife, USAF, commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, who delivered an inspirational address to award recipients about expectations and their future military service. Following his address, Gen. Slife was joined by Col. Shane Louis, USAF, chapter vice president for ROTC Affairs, to congratulate and present $1,500 scholarship checks to each recipient. Awardees included: Cadet Robert Smithers III, Air Force (AF) ROTC, Boston University; Cadet Kavina Thavarajah, Army ROTC, Boston University; Midshipman Samuel Lambert, Naval ROTC, College of the Holy Cross; Cadet Edenna Chen, AF ROTC, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Cadet Aden Rothmeyer, Army ROTC, MIT; Midshipman Elisabeth Aigeldinger, Naval ROTC, MIT; Cadet Timothy Swope, Army ROTC, University of Massachusetts (UMass)-Amherst; Cadet Molly Ramirez, Army ROTC, University of Vermont; Cadet Stephen Baiardi, AF ROTC, UMASS-Amherst; Cadet Jacob Villeneuve, AF ROTC, UMASS-Lowell; Cadet Jared Hakala, AF ROTC, University of New Hampshire (UNH); Cadet Kyle Cotoia, Army ROTC, UNH; Cadet Alexander Lagle, AF ROTC, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI); and Cadet Declan Williams, Army ROTC, WPI. Lt. Campbell then recognized several recipients who were unable to attend the ceremony. These included: Midshipman Connor Bashears, Naval ROTC, Boston University; Midshipman Calista Zaenger, Naval ROTC, Maine Maritime Academy; Cadet Jordan Rijkse, Army ROTC; Northeastern University; Cadet Matthew Macaluso, AF ROTC, Norwich University; Cadet Christopher Gutierrez, Army ROTC, Norwich University; Midshipman Larmon Hamblin, Naval ROTC, Norwich University; and Cadet Logan Christian, Army ROTC, University of Maine.

Jamie Thurber, chapter president, then thanked Gen. Slife for honoring the chapter with his presence and informative remarks. Col. Louis announced the winner of this year's General Bernard Schriever Award, which carries an additional $1,500 scholarship to the most outstanding cadet or midshipman among all awardees. This year's recipient was Cadet Robert Smithers III, Boston University. Finally, Col. Louis thanked everyone for their participation; especially the chapter's planning committee. Lt. Campbell closed by paying special tribute to this year's luncheon's sponsor, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory.

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