Mr. Sid Taylor, the National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) Board Member and 50 State Scholarship Program Manager recently contacted the Prince William County Schools Career Technical and Education Director seeking Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadets who were interested in writing an essay to recognize Veterans. Cadet Olivia S. Wilson answered the call with a very professional and heart stirring account of two important Veterans in her life, her father and grandfather, both Air Force Veterans.
According to Mr. Taylor, “I am proud to say that National Veteran Business Development Council has an essay winner from Woodbridge Senior High School, Woodbridge, VA, Army JROTC who is representing the Commonwealth of Virginia also. Cadet Major Olivia S. Wilson will receive a scholarship of $10,000 and a computer.”
In the photo above, JROTC Cadet Wilson is receiving the NVBDC Certificate of Achievement as presented by her Woodbridge Senior High School Senior Army Instructor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Victor W. Burnette.
In Cadet Wilson’s essay, she writes about; “Our veterans have worked many years in their careers to ensure that we Americans have a stable foundation we call home. For us to call this country our home has required people to take it upon their hands to take the negatives about our country and create positive things out of them. This is what our veterans, throughout hundreds of years, have done for us.
By continuously improving the conditions of the citizens of this country as well as other nations who are in need, they are building diplomatic relationships. By putting their life on the line to rescue those who lost homes and belongings in natural disasters, fought in wars, battles, they bring peace and stability.”
Olivia is graduating and leaving the Viking Battalion as their Executive Officer, graduate of the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge program at Fort A.P. Hill VA, and Commander of the Color Guard team. During her tenure she won several prestigious awards such as, the American Veterans Award. She is in the National Honor Society, a member of the school’s Crew Team and makes time to be a volunteer at her library and in food rescue delivery. She is attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, Greensboro, NC, will major in Computer Science and enroll in Air Force ROTC while there.
LTC Burnette stated, “Cadet Wilson is a hard-working cadet and has made many leadership contributions as a cadet in our program. She will be greatly missed, and we are extremely proud of her achievement for winning the National Veteran Business Development Council award for Commonwealth of Virginia. I am sure she will make many more great contributions to our nation and to the United States Air Force.“
