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Tampa, Fl. (March 27, 2026) – Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) announced their JROTC Cadet of the Year on Thursday evening at the University of South Florida. The district announced the top ten cadets, along with the overall winner at the year-end awards program. C/Lt Col Vidyarth Sathya from Middleton High School took home the top honors for Cadet of the Year.
HCPS has 28 Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs and over 5,000 cadets this school year. Currently, there are 11 Army JROTC programs, 9 Navy, 7 Air Force, and 1 Marine Corps. Each cadet that was nominated from the programs went through a rigorous board selection process to be considered for the top awards.
“The competition for Cadet of the Year is highly competitive, making this recognition a significant accomplishment,” said Van Ayres, superintendent of schools. “Congratulations to each of these outstanding cadets on being named among the very best—your hard work and dedication truly set you apart.”
This year’s winners are:
TOP WINNER: C/Lt Col Vidyarth Sathya from Middleton High School
C/LTC Caroline Victoria - Alonso High School
C/LTC Marielis Pena - Brandon High School
C/Capt Miriam Chamizo - Chamberlain High School
C/Col Charlotte Belloso - Durant High School
C/Lt Col Vidyarth Sathya - Middleton High School
C/LTC Isabelle Rivera - Newsome High School
C/Lt Col Juliette Selman - Plant High School
C/CDR Andrew Papp - Riverview High School
C/LT Rebecca Siddall - Robinson High School
C/ENS Gavin McGraw - Tampa Bay Tech High School
For more information about our JROTC programs at HCPS, visit www.hillsboroughschools.org.