Linh P. Tran, a senior at Klein High School, recently received an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) college scholarship worth $57,450.

She will be the first student at the University of St. Thomas to enroll in Air Force ROTC when she enters this fall as a pre-med student. Air Force ROTC was introduced to St. Thomas earlier this year.

“Ms. Tran competed very well against thousands of other high school seniors across the nation to earn this coveted scholarship,” said her future Air Force ROTC Commander, Colonel Phil Bossert. “We interviewed her before she met the scholarship board, and she was extremely impressive, one of the best interviews we even conducted.”

Tran not only earned top grades at Klein High School but she was also active in numerous extracurricular activities including Air Force Junior ROTC and community service projects. St. Thomas also awarded her a presidential scholarship worth more than $10,000.

ROTC is a comprehensive, four year college program in which cadets take eight academic courses in leadership, management, teamwork, military studies, ethics, and much more. In addition, they participate in rigorous physical fitness training three times a week, a leadership lab weekly, and a variety of summer programs. ROTC is in addition to their normal academic major, and when they graduate cadets are commissioned second lieutenants in the air force.

Air Force ROTC was introduced to Houston only in 2003 but is expanding quickly throughout the metro area. While based at the University of Houston, Air Force ROTC is also available to students at Rice, TSU, the University of St. Thomas, HCC, UH Downtown, and Embry Riddle. More Houston colleges plan to join later this year.

While Ms. Tran’s goal is to become a medical doctor, over 125 other career fields are available to officers.

For more information about Air Force ROTC in Houston, call (713) 743-4932 or visit the web site at www.uh.edu/afrotc.