NHS student awarded $200,000 Navy ROTC scholarship

You wouldn’t blame Northwest High School senior Maddock Ramirez for being surprised when his family made an unexpected visit to his 1st-period class on Friday. However, when he also saw members of the United States Navy, Maddock surely knew something special was in store.

What followed was a moment the soon-to-be Texas A&M University Aggie will never forget. 

With family, classmates, teachers and friends all gathered around, it was announced that Maddock was the nation’s newest recipient of a Navy ROTC scholarship worth up to $200,000. The scholarship will cover the cost of a degree in any field, plus a monthly allowance, and Maddock will be a commissioned Naval Officer upon graduation from Texas A&M.

According to Chief Leonela Jones, NROTC Scholarship Program Coordinator for the Red River region, the NROTC awarded $62.7 million in scholarships across the nation last year. Maddock is the first student in all of North Texas and Oklahoma to receive the scholarship this year.

For more photos from the surprise presentation, visit the Northwest Flickr page.