Standout wrestler and now Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Scholarship (NROTC) award winner, Olivia McEachern was presented with the scholarship which she plans on using after she graduates from Mulvane High School this spring.
“It means a lot to me to receive the NROTC award. It is opening doors and opportunities in my future that would otherwise be closed,” said McEachern.
The future U.S. Marine plans to attend college out-of-state before entering the Marine Corps fulltime.
“My desire to join the Marine Corps is actually relatively new, and kind of began when I went to my brother’s boot camp graduation in November of 2019,” said McEachern. “After I graduate high school, I plan on attending the University of Oklahoma.”
Seeing her brother graduate from basic training inspired McEachern and now she is set to join the most elite force in the United States armed forces.
“I think what drew me to the Marine Corps the most was how challenging it is, and the fact that my father and brother are Marines. It just felt right,” said McEachern.
McEachern exceled on the wrestling mat and her physical fitness is without question one of her strengths, but McEachern also excels in the classroom and she is squared away when it comes to setting goals and priorities.
“My goal in the Marine Corps is to become and Officer and a pilot, hopefully for drones,” said McEachern. “I haven’t really thought about whether I want to make a career in the military or not. There are a lot of things I would like to accomplish in the future, but for now I’ve been focusing on the next few years.”
McEachern is a member of National Honor Society, Thespians and the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). In her free time you can usually find McEachern working on her skills as an artist.
“Doing art is my favorite past time. I work primarily with watercolor and occasional acrylic paint in various styles such as realism, abstract, semi-abstract, landscape and portraiture. I also spend a lot of time doing beauty and special effects makeup and body art as well as working as a lifeguard and playing music,” said McEachern.
