QUEENS, NY (TIP): A 17-year-old Indian – American high school student has risen to the highest student leadership rank in her military training unit, taking direct command of nearly 300 U.S. Navy cadets in New York City, reports AP. Ridhi Gupta Chauhan, a senior at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens, was appointed Battalion Commanding Officer of the school’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NJROTC) unit. In this role, Chauhan oversees daily battalion operations, physical training, and student welfare. She reportedly maintains a rigorous routine, arriving at school before 7am four days a week to lead drill practice before standard academic classes begin.
“The demanding routine has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Chauhan said, noting that the program helped her overcome personal shyness to guide her peers. During her tenure, Chauhan also served as stem commander, where she led a student engineering team to construct the unit’s first “SeaPerch” underwater robot. Her leadership earned her the prestigious distinguished cadet award from the program’s regional management.
Chauhan, whose parents Dilip and Ruchika Chauhan trace their family roots to Jaipur in Rajasthan, India, has already secured her next military milestone. She recently gained admission to the highly competitive Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) in Newport, Rhode Island.
The preparatory program serves as a direct pipeline for her ultimate career ambition: attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to graduate as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy.
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