At the age when students are either preparing for school or college applications, 17-year-old Riddhi Chauhan is currently leading nearly 300 cadets in one of the United States’ largest school-based naval leadership programmes.
The Indian-American student enrolled in Benjamin N.Cardozo High School in Queens is serving as the Battalion Commanding Officer of her school’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) unit. She is one of the youngest student leaders to take charge of such a large NJROTC battalion.
The NJROTC unit is the highest student position in the naval leadership programme. Her recent achievement is followed by her admission to the Naval Academy and becoming a commissioned officer in the US Navy, as per ANI.
Preparing for a Career in the US Navy
She is the daughter of Ruchika and Dilip Chauhan, whose family traces its roots to Jaipur, situated in Rajasthan. Riddhi joined the NJROTC programme as a freshman to improve her confidence and leadership abilities.
Before taking charge as the Battalion Commanding Officer, she progressed by holding various leadership positions, which include Academic Commander, STEM Commander, Platoon Leader and Inspection Commander.
With the present position, she oversees the daily functioning of the battalion, supervises training exercises and mentor’s junior cadets. She reaches school every week, four mornings, before 7 AM to conduct drill practice ahead of regular classes.
She has also contributed significantly to academics and innovation. As academic commander, she helped her school team to qualify for the second round of leadership and Academic Bowl for two consecutive years and played a key role in securing the first positions in the national academic examination. In innovations, she also led the development of the battalion’s first SeaPerch Underwater robot.
Riddhi attributes her leadership philosophy to the values, such as humility, compassion and selfless service that she learned through the teachings of Mahant Swami Maharaj and her involvement with BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. Her parents now hope for her to join the United States Naval Academy after completing the preparatory programme.
Riddhi Chauhan’s journey shows how leadership opportunities offered through school programmes can be beneficial for students to develop qualities such as discipline, responsibility, and teamwork while preparing them for a career in public service.