SOLEDAD — Soledad High School senior Evelyn Camacho, a four-year Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) cadet, was awarded a full scholarship to attend Norwich University in Vermont.
The 17-year-old Camacho, daughter of Apolonio and Patricia Camacho of Soledad, is completing her fourth year of NJROTC and has maintained a 4.5 GPA.
Six NJROTC cadets applied for the $250,000 ROTC Scholarship this school year, according to Senior Naval Science Instructor Capt. Pete Gomez.
“This is a big achievement for a Soledad student,” said Gomez, who has been working at Soledad High for the past 11 years.
Gomez said he is pleased that Camacho earned the scholarship, which covers her entire tuition and academic needs at the military college.
“This will be the first time Evelyn will be away from home in a different state (from California to Vermont),” Gomez said. “She is happy she was awarded the scholarship worth $250,000 and can earn a college degree without the financial burden.”
Camacho has lived her entire life in the Salinas Valley and has enjoyed her time spent in the Soledad NJROTC program.
“I was born in Salinas, and was raised in Chualar until I was 3 years old before we settled in Soledad,” she said. “My favorite classes are AP Stats and English 2A, and my favorite extracurriculars are the drill and exhibition teams in my NJROTC unit.”
Camacho has achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the unit. Upon graduating in June, she will attend Norwich University this fall.
“I will be leaving for college in August to start my fall term, and I will be going into the Navy Branch,” Camacho said. “I’m also majoring in criminology.”
