Texas Boys State alums awarded $360K in scholarships from U.S. Navy

San Antonio, TX

SAN ANTONIO – (May 25, 2021) Twin brothers Cadets Lt. Col. Kalvin and 1st Lt. Kelvin Rodriguez Rivera of San Antonio, both seniors attending Highlands High School, were awarded Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarships during a special presentation held at the school.

The NROTC Scholarship, valued at up to $180,000, pays for the cost of full tuition, books and other educational fees at many of the country’s leading colleges and universities. Upon graduation, midshipmen are commissioned as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Both brothers will be attending the University of Texas and majoring in aerospace engineering.

Presenting the awards were Naval aviators Capt. Davis Koss of Orange Park, Fla., chairman of naval science at the University of Texas, and Lt. Maressa Guynn of Uniontown, Penn., an aviation instructor at the university.

“These two gentlemen are examples of seizing opportunity. Opportunity does not come and not on your door, you have to find it,” said Koss, a former commanding officer of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. “These two men have worked very hard, achieved everything academically and physically, and achieved an aptitude rating that stood out amongst their peers.”

Additionally, both brothers were sponsored by Fred Brock Post 828 for the American Legion Texas Boys State program in 2020.

“American Legion Boys State is among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for high school students,” said Post 828 Legionnaire Army Lt. Col. (retired) Jerry Cheatom, director of Army instruction for the San Antonio Independent School District, who attended the ceremony. “It is a participatory program where each student becomes a part of the operation of his local, county and state government.”

Accompanying the twins at the ceremony were their father, Rudy Rodriguez, as well as school faculty and veterans organizations,

“I am super proud of my sons,” said Rodriguez. “They have met a goal they had set their minds on attaining; this is just the beginning for them.”

The Navy offers several scholarship programs to help pay for school so a person can enjoy a normal college life and focus on their studies before starting a career in the Navy.

For more information about the NROTC Scholarship program, visit www.navy.com.

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