When asked about her involvement in AFJROTC at AAHS, Natalie said that participating in AFJROTC has been one of the best experiences of her life. The unit at AAHS is in the top 5% in the country which shows in the dedication of the cadets, the opportunities offered in extra curricular activities, and the amount of leadership opportunities they are exposed to. The lessons they are taught in and out of the classroom are invaluable and can be applied to every area in life. The most important lessons that Natalie said she learned are the importance of communication, how a healthy team should function, and how to deal with conflict. Outside the classroom, Natalie found a group of friends that push each other to be the best they can be and feels like family. Natalie said, "Participating in JROTC never took away from the "typical high school experience" so while it was the most prominent part of my high school career, I was still able to be among my other peers in class and out."
Natalie counts herself very fortunate to have been surrounded by incredible instructors, peer mentors, and friends throughout her time in the JROTC program. She joined the Drill Team when she was a freshman and was greatly inspired by the upperclassmen to push herself to be the best she could be. She has been on the team for four years and is now one of the commanders she so admired. The level of discipline, camaraderie and valuable experience leading others allowed her to grow and flourish in this program. She made it her goal to participate in as many activities as possible, give back to the community through community service, attend all the unit events, and get to know many people within the unit. Her hard work and dedication paid off when she was selected for Wing Superintendent her junior year to be followed by Vice Wing Commander her first semester of senior year and leading the unit inspection that comes once every three years. Natalie was honored to be able to serve in these positions and learned a lot about how to lead a team, keep up morale, focus on the healthy qualities that make up a leader, and how to work with people through conflict. Natalie credited the AFJROTC instructors through the lessons they taught her and their mentoring for inspiring her to give back to the people she was fortunate to lead and make sure their experience in the program is just as good, if not better than hers.
Col. Robert Huber, one of Natalie's instructors said, "Natalie has been a true pleasure to work with for 4 years, a model cadet. She bought into the Core Values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do as a freshman and took advantage of the many opportunities AFJROTC offers to grow as a leader, follower, and teammate. She is 100% deserving of the scholarship she earned and I can’t wait to see her as an Air Force officer in 4 ½ years leading Airmen and providing for our national security."
Natalie plans to attend Denver University and has declared a major in psychology with a minor in Spanish. She will participate in ROTC through the detachment at Boulder and is exploring a pathway where she may earn a leadership minor with her ROTC classes in conjunction with classes offered at DU.
