Three recently graduated seniors from the Osceola High School Class of 2022 are the first Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp cadets from the state of Florida to complete leadership and skills testing through the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI).
Cadet Col. Donovan Bohannon, Cadet Col. Giselle Rivera-Lopez, and Cadet Col. Jacob Carter were the first JROTC students in Florida, and among the first in the nation, to take the tests, and each greatly exceeded the required passing s core en route to the groundbreaking accomplishment for the state. The test covered eight different subject areas, including Collaboration, Communication, Ethics, Decision Making, Leadership, and Planning.
Each student will receive JROTC Leadership and Employability Certification, a college recommendation and digital badge for use on resumes and other documents. All three cadets are bound for college in the fall.
For over 50 years, NOCTI is the leading provider of industry credentials for career and technical education (CTE) programs across the nation. The not-for-profit testing consortium’s goal is to provide validation and certification to the private sector to improve America’s technical and managerial workforce. The testing and credentials developed by NOCTI directly reflect the employability skills demonstrated by JROTC cadets during their 3-4 years in the program.
The Air Force Junior ROTC program was chosen as the lead agency for the combined service Junior ROTCs for implementation of this testing option for its cadets. The Osceola High School unit, FL-921, was the first unit in the state to have cadets pursue the testing regime.
David LaTour, the AFJROTC Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at Osceola High School and a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, said he was ecstatic about the cadets performance.
“In light of our OHS Vision to graduate all students career and college-ready, this news is definitely an indication of ‘Vision Accomplished!’” he said.
The cadets’ accomplishment were singled out by Headquarters, Air Force Junior ROTC at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. In a message to the cadets and staff, Director Brian Buck stated “Again, you’re a proven pace setter for the AFJROTC program!”
For more information of Osceola High School’s Fl-921 JROTC program, see https://bit.ly/3IHmBfM.
