Miguel R. is on his way to establishing a legacy that will be remembered across Dallas ISD.
The senior at W.H. Adamson High School will soon cross the graduation stage. As he steps into a new chapter of life, he leaves behind instructors who became mentors and peers who grew under his guidance.
Miguel is a colonel in the Dallas ISD JROTC program. This is the highest rank in the district, an achievement that is no easy feat. In order to be named a colonel, students have to go through rigorous training and testing.
“I did a panel interview with the four highest-ranking people in the district. They asked us questions about the military and current events,” Miguel said. “It was hard, but my instructor mentioned it was harder than what adults do, so that was a confidence booster.”
During his junior year, Miguel’s JROTC instructors approached him about testing for the colonel ranking
“They said they wanted me to go for it, and there were no ifs, ands, or buts,” he said.
As a JROTC colonel, part of his duties include attending district events, like summer camps.
“I’m the one who sets precedent and shows people what to do,” he said.
At Adamson, Miguel is a member of the JROTC senior staff, a group of elite cadets chosen by instructors and entrusted with leading and managing the program. Instructors position the senior staff to become mentors and role models not only for other cadets, but for all Adamson students.
Those opportunities are just part of what inspired Miguel to join JROTC as a freshman.
Becoming a member gave him the chance to hone natural leadership skills and gain experience.
But his drive to join the program runs much deeper.
“My father was in the JROTC program at Woodrow Wilson High School. He really liked his experience, so he said if I had the opportunity to join JROTC, to go ahead and do it,” Miguel said.
Since becoming a member of JROTC, Miguel said he’s grown as a person and credits the program for preparing him for the next step in life, majoring in business at University of North Texas.
“I’ve become a lot more productive and a lot more open to helping people, which is a main goal of my life, to help people,” he said. “When I started as a freshman, I was really closed off, and the JROTC instructors brought me out of my shell. I just propelled from there.”
That guidance and motivation inspired Miguel to make it to the top ranks, which gave him opportunities to meet people he never expected to be in the same room with, he said.
“I owe them (JROTC instructors) a debt of gratitude and a big thank-you,” Miguel said.
Miguel said other opportunities at Adamson, like P-TECH, the Academic Success Program, and his counselors who helped him with college applications and scholarships, all played a part in preparing him to go to UNT.
He began P-TECH as a junior, taking courses through Dallas College at the El Centro Campus, and now he says it’s his favorite high school memory.
“It’s fun being there because you get more liberties and it’s a whole different environment,” he said.
Now, as Miguel prepares to graduate in May, he plans to take his newfound confidence, leadership abilities, and networking skills to UNT.
“I’m looking forward to meeting all the people,” he said. “Going to middle and high school here, you meet people around the city. Now, going to a university with more people, you get to meet people from around the country and the state. It gives you a new perspective on life.”
As Miguel steps into the next chapter of his life, he leaves a legacy of lessons, mentorship, and passion—a legacy that began with his father at Woodrow Wilson and was strengthened during his time at Adamson, ready to make a lasting impact.
