c/LTC Jayvion Summerville from South View High School Army JROTC shares his Battalion Commander Story

Written by: c/LTC Jayvion Summerville

My Battalion Commander Story:

My name is c/LTC Jayvion Summerville. My journey started when I was in 9th grade, and I joined JROTC at South View High School. At first, I joined JROTC because I wanted to, and there was no particular reason. I was a shy individual who didn’t talk when I didn’t have to, but now I am the Battalion Commander of my JROTC program and I am now a person who can lead and speak without getting nervous. The more I got through JROTC, the more I realized that I wanted to go into the military. I started to dream of becoming a military officer, and I could see that dream come true if I stayed down this path. I didn’t want to take the Enlisted route, I wanted to become an officer through college. I wanted to go to the United States Military Academy, but I knew that I had to have other options. That is when I applied for the ROTC scholarship, and I was lucky enough to have three schools offer me a scholarship. West Point offered me USMAPS, which I ended up declining to attend Virginia Military Institute this upcoming school year. I am very happy to be attending VMI, and I feel that it will hold a special place in my heart when it is all said and done.