HISD’s offices of College, Career and Military Readiness and Post-Secondary Programming partnered with HISD JROTC to hold their second-ever Military Career Day at Delmar Fieldhouse on Wednesday, March 7. Unlike the first Military Career Day in January, this event was catered to high school seniors who are undecided on their post-secondary plans.

Students were welcomed by visiting military service people and a demonstration by the Sam Houston High School Color Guard, then witnessed the presentation of scholarship checks to two students from Bellaire High School, Antonio Hernandez and Catherine Medina.

“The scholarship means a lot to me. It means being able to become a soldier in the U.S. Army, which I believe is one of the strongest in the world, and also to become an officer,” said Hernandez. “That will allow me to lead people and have a direct impact on their lives and futures.”

Hernandez applied to college with help from advisors from Houston SORD – the ROTC scholarship program whose recipients, including Hernandez, receive full-ride college scholarships for exhibiting exceptional leadership potential and other sought-after qualities.

Different branches of the military as well as several colleges and universities were represented at the career day, and students had the better part of two hours to peruse their options as well as participate in fun games and win prizes. Students had the opportunity to try out Army flight and parachuting VR simulators, sit in a real U.S. Coast Guard boat, and even see a real military helicopter land in the Delmar parking lot.

“This event is geared toward seniors. It’s March, you haven’t made a decision, are you going to college, you’re not quite ready yet, so here are the opportunities for you,” said Sevy Meloni, Director of Post-Secondary Programming with HISD. “You can enlist, you can apply for college, go to the Army, all of these career options, not necessarily just enlisting.”

The inaugural Military Career Day, specifically for high school juniors, was held in January, and HISD took suggestions surveyed from attending students to streamline this career day to make it more accessible, informative, and entertaining for seniors.

To learn about HISD’s JROTC programs and ROTC scholarships, visit the HISD JROTC website.

To learn more about HISD’s postsecondary programs, visit the Postsecondary Programming website.

For more information on military readiness after high school, visit the Office of College, Career and Military Readiness website.