Nine cadets from local high schools and one university received a total of $55,000 in scholarships from the Northwest Florida Military Officers Association (NWFMOA) during the organization’s annual scholarship luncheon held May 1 at the Fort Walton Yacht Club.

Eight JROTC cadets from six area high schools — Baker, Choctaw, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre and Niceville — and one Air Force ROTC cadet from the University of West Florida were recognized for their academic excellence, leadership, community service and service to their schools.

The JROTC scholarship recipients included:

• Cadet Bella Gibson of Baker School — Florida Power & Light Scholarship of $6,000
• Cadet Heidi Edwards of Crestview High School — Mrs. Joan Gibson Griffin Bush Scholarship of $6,000
• Cadet Layth Atrakchi of Choctawhatchee High School — Dr. Fred and Mrs. Janet Westfall Scholarship of $6,000
• Cadet Chriscelle Pardillo of Fort Walton Beach High School — Mrs. Eileen Arpke Memorial Scholarship of $6,000
• Cadet Madelyn Burdick of Navarre High School — Dr. Howard and Mrs. Irene Fisher Scholarship of $6,000
• Cadet Hope Apfelbach of Navarre High School — Mrs. Chong (Kim) Parisot Memorial Scholarship of $6,000
• Cadet Caleb McDevitt of Navarre High School — Lt. Col. Jim and Mrs. Una Heavener Memorial Scholarship of $9,000
• Cadet Penelope Ashby of Niceville High School — Col. Karl and Mrs. Charlotte Eschmann Scholarship of $6,000
• Cadet Lincoln Dooley of Niceville High School — First Alternate
• Cadet Owen Clift of Niceville High School — Second Alternate

The ROTC scholarship recipient:

• Cadet Mark Almazan of the UWF Air Force ROTC — Major General Richard Secord Memorial Scholarship of $4,000 (a 2023 graduate of the Fort Walton Beach JROTC)

The NWFMOA also recognized four local graduating high school seniors who have received appointments to U.S. military academies:

• Max Diehl of Niceville High School — United States Naval Academy
• Jackson Hamman of Niceville High School — United States Air Force Academy
• JROTC Cadet Jack Mashburn of Navarre High School — United States Merchant Marine Academy
• JROTC Cadet Lauren Mavity of Navarre High School — United States Merchant Marine Academy

“These cadets are prime examples of leadership, service, academic excellence and community service that define our local JROTC and ROTC programs,” said Brig. Gen. Fran Hendricks, USAF Ret., and president of the NWFMOA chapter.

The scholarship luncheon attendees included JROTC instructors from each of the cadets’ high schools, business leaders who have financially contributed to the scholarships, parents of awardees, and NWFMOA members. The Baker School Army JROTC provided the Color Guard for the event.

According to NWFMOA, the JROTC scholarships will be paid to the respective colleges over a two-year period, and scholarship recipients are required to participate in their college’s ROTC program.

The NWFMOA Scholarship Fund provides scholarship funds annually to local JROTC and ROTC cadets who exhibit superior academic achievement, leadership, and community service performance.