Cadets find motivation and friendship at academy
EL CENTRO — Proud parents, guardians and family members watched Thursday as the 15 cadets from this year’s Youth Cadet Academy stood at attention one last time inside the Eagles Lodge here.
The cadets, ages 12 to 17, had attentively followed orders throughout the program’s five-week duration, and, after receiving their congratulatory certificates and dog tags, they were released back into the world with a summer’s worth of knowledge and discipline.
Heads of the academy, which was aimed toward junior high and high school students struggling in school, were confident in their young cadets and left them with a simple farewell message: “Finish high school.”
Now in its second year, the Cadet Academy saw an increase in community participation, as only 10 cadets completed last year’s session.
With the help of community grants, the Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center was once again able to host the academy free of charge to participants, providing them with uniforms, P.E. clothes, boots, socks, classroom materials and other incentives such as field trips.
“The pride is in knowing that people like the fact that we want to work with kids and give them something to do in the summer,” the Center’s Chief Executive Officer Rosa Diaz said.
While the five-week academy did feature military etiquette, it did not serve as a recruiting tool nor was there an expectation that cadets will eventually join the military.
Along with providing academic support, the academy’s purpose was to promote leadership, discipline and pride, as well as physical, emotional and personal well-being.
From June 23 until their graduation, the cadets participated in twoa-day sessions at the LGBT Resource Center facility.
Morning sessions consisted of traditional classroom teaching, presentations and note taking.
The LGBT Resource Center decided this year to implement new psychological lessons on topics such as suicide prevention, drug and alcohol abuse, teen dating, violence and childhood trauma.
“It turned out to be perfect because, without knowing their lives, they got to speak to some of the speakers, and they revealed a lot about themselves,” Diaz said. “Some of them told us they were doing something harder outside of marijuana. Synthetic drugs and street drugs are very easily accessible.”
Three consecutive classes on sex education, as well as a session on owning a car presented by an Imperial Valley College instructor, were provided.
Diaz explained that the cadets, despite their age, had no problem understanding the lessons, which were selected based off the needs of the community.
“We have to look at the statistics in Imperial County,” Diaz said. “Children as young as 12 years old are getting sexually transmitted diseases. The suicide rate among adolescents and teens is high, as well as drug use. Not knowing for sure, but just going based on the statistics, I think we hit a few chords.”
During the afternoon sessions, veterans Rafael Perez and Ambrose Ramirez, the academy’s volunteer instructors, barked orders at the cadets as they completed military-style drills.
While the academy’s venue, it did not promote any sort of LGBT agenda. It did, however, welcome any local youth questioning their sexuality or gender.
“There’s a lot of times where they won’t be a part of a group such as this because they feel that they’re going to be ousted or harassed,” Diaz said. “We do have a few kids that identified as part of the LGBTQ community, and they felt at home.”
El Centro City Council member Tomás Oliva attended the academy’s session on Monday to become more familiar with the cadets, as he was chosen to give the commencement address at Thursday’s graduation.
Briefly sharing his life story during the ceremony, Oliva encouraged the cadets to identify their limits and test them.
“Your limits are essentially set by you, and you can do so much more,” he said. “Think about who you are: who you are today and who you’ll be tomorrow, because who you’ll be tomorrow, and who you strive to be, will affect all of us.”
Perhaps inspired by Oliva, Cadet Sixto Navarrete expressed he was eager and motivated to apply what he learned from the academy into his own life.
“During these five weeks, I’ve changed,” he said. “And I want to bring good to the future of Imperial Valley, Mexicali and all of El Centro.”
Navarrete explained that becoming closer with his fellow cadets made getting through the academy that much easier.
“When my mom first told me about this academy, I didn’t want to come,” he said. “It was hard at first. But I met these cadets, and they’re like my family now. I treat them as family and as friends. These past five weeks have been the best.”
While Navarrete credited his fellow cadets for helping him get through the academy, Cadet Krystina Thomas gave all praise to her immediate family.
“I want to thank my mom, my dad and grandma for bringing me and not letting me stay home and do nothing,” Thomas said.
Cadet Erika Rodriguez, 14, said her family suggested she participate in the academy.
“It was a family decision,” her father, Eric Rodriguez, said. “It’s not just a decision that she could just come up with an answer to by herself because of the stigma behind it. It takes a lot of courage to do these type of programs.”
To her surprise, Rodriguez, a firstyear participant who earned the rank of squad leader, was recognized as the Cadet of the Year for going above and beyond her duties.
“She’s a quiet person,” Rodriguez’s grandmother, Ester Rodriguez, said. “So for her to come out and do this — be a leader — was a total surprise.”
In her speech, Rodriguez reflected on why she thought joining the academy would be ideal.
“At first I thought it was going to be a good thing for my resume, which I’m still working on, but I’m very glad I came here because I learned about so many different things, and I like to think I made new friends,” Rodriguez said. “It was just fun. I hope that you guys will come back next year because I want to, too.”