It’s graduation season! To celebrate, we’re showcasing seniors from throughout Round Rock ISD.

Round Rock High School’s Rachel Dieterich said she found her community in the school’s ROTC program.

“When I started freshman year, it was Covid, right? But I still came to school and I found a really good group in ROTC. It helped me make some friends here,” she said. 

She said she initially joined the Physical Training Team but enjoyed what she was doing so much that she decided to get involved in the Drill Team and the Color Guard.

“I’m actually the commander of the Drill Team and Color Guard team this year,” Rachel said. “We go and perform at different competitions. This year, we got first in the Dragon Games, which is like a field meet that we hosted here at Round Rock High School. We also got first in some of the events at McNeil’s skills meet.” 

Rachel didn’t always plan on joining ROTC. She said she was inspired by a pull-up challenge during her eighth-grade orientation.

“I got a free shirt for doing five pull-ups or something, and then I was like you know what? I’m gonna do ROTC,” Rachel said.

Now that she’s gone through the program, she recommends it for anyone entering high school. 

“I do a lot of activities, and ROTC is my favorite thing ever,” she said. “It’s really nice because how much you put into it is how much you get out of it.”

Rachel credited ROTC with her success academically as well.

“In ROTC, they give you a planner and stuff like that, so I’ve learned how to notate and take charge of all my activities I need to do. I’m really organized, it helps me stay prepared in advance,” she said.

Rachel is also inspired by her ROTC teacher, Master Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Olmeda Jr.

“He is such a great example of a leader,” she said. “I love his commitment; he gets here at 6 a.m. every day and doesn’t leave until 6 p.m. most days; it’s inspiring. He’s really helped push me to try new things. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would have quit a long time ago.”

After graduation, Rachel will try to earn her wings.

“I got a scholarship from the Navy to go to flight school for eight weeks, so I’m gonna do that this summer and hopefully get my private pilot’s license,” she said. 

This fall, she’ll be studying Public Health at Texas A&M University as a member of the Aggie Corps. She received an Air Force scholarship to cover her schooling and plans to serve in the Air Force after graduation. 

Good luck, Rachel!