Cody Vasquez, a junior cadet in the Granbury Marine Corps JROTC program, recently completed the Summer Leadership and Character Development Academy held on July 21-27, 2013, in the Washington D.C. area.

Cadet Sergeant Vasquez was one of only ninety high school students selected from hundreds of applicants from across the country, according to Senior Marine Instructor Lt. Col. Scott Casey.

The SLCDA is a week-long program that provides top-performing high school students an opportunity to receive leadership training, character development, lessons on ethics, and college admissions guidance from experienced Marine officers. The program, which also included a community service component, was primarily held in Quantico, Virginia.

Key components of the program were team building, leadership and ethics case studies and activities, and daily physical fitness classes. Participants heard from distinguished speakers and also toured sites in the nation’s capital.