Santa Fe High senior Nassau Garcia, NJROTC Cadet Lieutenant Junior Grade has received the Joseph C. Gilliam Academic Achievement/Top Senior Award.

In order to be eligible for this award, the cadet must be a graduating senior with at least two years of NJROTC by the end of the current school year, have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher, be in a college preparatory curriculum track, have earned the NJROTC Academic Ribbon, and have written an essay on a topic decided on by NJROTC Headquarters.

(This year’s essay topic was “As a cadet in the NJROTC program, how have the Navy’s Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment changed your understanding of your role as a citizen of the United States?”)

After Cadet Garcia was selected as the SFHS nominee, her nomination packet was sent to the NJROTC Area Manager, where it was evaluated against cadet nominees from 52 other schools in New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma).

Superintendent Dr. Veronica Garcia presented the award to Cadet Garcia on April 19 in the Activity Center. Her parents attended the ceremony.

Chief Patricia Schipp said, “Congratulations to Cadet Garcia on her outstanding accomplishment.”