Members of Addison Trail’s Blazer Battalion U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program perform well during Cadet Leadership Challenge

The following 10 members of Addison Trail’s Blazer Battalion U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program recently participated in the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC). They were selected for their exceptional display of leadership, esprit de corps and sharp appearance in uniform.

The Blazer Battalion cadets who were chosen to participate are:

  • C/LTC Chiara Lapitan (class of 2027) – Blazer Battalion Commander
  • C/CSM Fernando Mendez (class of 2028) – Blazer Battalion Command Sergeant Major
  • C/CPT Janet Arauz (class of 2027) – Blazer Battalion Adjutant
  • C/CPT Damian Sigaran (class of 2027) – Blazer Battalion Operations & Training Officer
  • C/CPT Liam Bourget (class of 2028) – Blazer Battalion Special Missions Officer
  • C/SSG Omar Teran (class of 2027) – Alpha Company, First Squad Leader
  • C/SGT Jayden Parra (class of 2028) – Bravo Company, First Squad Leader
  • C/SGT Kimberly Lopez Vazquez (class of 2027) – Alpha Company, Second Squad Leader
  • C/CPL Adryan Romero-Hernandez (class of 2029) – Bravo Company, Second Squad Leader
  • C/CPL Kimberly Villegas Desantiago (class of 2029) – Blazer Battalion Guidon Bearer

Rigorous training and competition

The 2026 JCLC took place in June at the Marseilles Training Center in Illinois. A total of 178 cadet candidates from 21 high schools were organized into four platoons (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th).

The demanding training regimen included early-morning wakeups, followed by rigorous physical training. Cadets then tackled the Rappel Tower, Zip Line, Land Navigation, Water Challenge Course, Archery, Leader Reactionary Course and Obstacle Course. These training blocks were followed by competitive sporting events, including flag football, soccer, volleyball and frisbee toss.

Key awards and recognitions

  • C/LTC Lapitan: Leadership Award (1st Platoon), 2nd-place Female Physical Training Award, 1st-place Archery Award (1st Platoon)

    Leadership Evaluation: “Cadet Lapitan is a natural leader, with good presentation skills. She was able to come into the role and perform really well. She motivated, helped and assisted every cadet under her leadership. Although she is a LET 1, she executes on the level of a LET 4.”
  • C/CPT Arauz: Leadership Award (3rd Platoon), Certificate of Excellence Award, Most Motivated Award (3rd Platoon)

    Led her platoon to earn: Best Rappelling Platoon, Best Sports Platoon, Best Confidence Course Platoon, Best Land Navigation Platoon and Overall Best Platoon

    Leadership Evaluation: “Cadet Arauz showed exceptional leadership. A great attitude, consistent motivation. She kept her peers involved and informed. This cadet is the Standard; she sets the standard, then lives it. She always displayed a ‘Give All or Give Nothing’ attitude.”

  • All other participating Addison Trail cadets represented their assigned squads and platoons with excellence, each earning between three to six certificates for placing on winning teams.

  • Four total Leadership Awards were presented, and the Blazer Battalion brought home two of them. Addison Trail was the only school to have multiple Leadership Award recipients.

“I cannot express enough how proud I am of our 10 cadets, who chose to forgo a week of their summer break to participate in this rigorous, demanding and military-structured JCLC,” said MSG William E. Jones, JROTC Instructor. “The Blazer Battalion truly leads from the front, with paramount results. The cadets represented District 88, Addison Trail High School and themselves in a manner second to none.”

For more information about the Addison Trail JROTC program, go to https://dupage88.net/site/page/17614.