A New York high schooler is leading nearly 300 fellow students as Battalion Commanding Officer of her school's Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) unit -- the highest student rank in the programme.
Four days a week, 17-year-old Riddhi Chauhan arrives at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens before 7 am (local time) to run drill practice, ahead of a day that involves overseeing battalion operations, training and cadet welfare. It is, by any measure, a demanding schedule for a teenager, but one she says has been among the most rewarding parts of her life.
