Marocchi Memorial Scholarship

The RADM Marocchi Memorial Scholarship provides two awards of $2,500 each given to a graduating senior from a Virginia high school.


This year, we are pleased to announce that the Marocchi Memorial Scholarship is open to graduating high school students. This scholarship is intended to reward Virginia students who will enroll in a ROTC program at a Virginia college or university in Fall 2026. Students may apply using the form below.

Marocchi Scholarship Application Form - High School

This application is for graduating High School seniors.

  • Personal email address preferred to school email address.
  • Include number of years of participation, any other supporting details.
  • Include number of years of participation, any other supporting details.
  • In 500 words or less, describe the reasons why you wish to pursue a career in the military services, and the personal benefits you hope to reap from your pursuit of higher education through ROTC.
    Accepted file types: doc, docx, pdf, Max. file size: 128 MB.

NOTE: Applicants do NOT need to be JROTC participants in their high schools. All graduating seniors who meet the qualifications are welcome to apply.

All applications for the 2026 Marocchi Memorial Scholarship must be received by Sunday, April 26, 2026.

SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS (High School Applicants)

You must meet the following criteria when submitting your application package:

  1. Be a current student in the senior class of an accredited public or private high school or homeschool program in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  2. Be planning to pursue a program of study in an ROTC program at a Virginia college or university that will lead to a career in the US Military Service.
  3. Be a US Citizen or permanent resident at the time of application.
  4. Possess an unweighted minimum GPA of 2.75.
  5. Your application and all supporting documents must be received by the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, VA, via email, on or before Sunday, April 26, 2026 (11:59 pm).

The following document must be forwarded directly to VWM to support your application:

  1. From your school’s guidance department:
    1. A certified copy of your high school transcript and current unweighted grade point average.
  2. A letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, or Senior Military Instructor

APPLICATION PROCESS 

Complete the online application form on this page, or you may download the form (PDF), fill it out, and send a scanned version to Elizabeth.Oglesby@dvs.virginia.gov.

Letters of recommendation and transcripts should also be scanned and emailed to Elizabeth.Oglesby@dvs.virginia.gov.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

While not a condition of eligibility, if you are chosen as a scholarship recipient you may be asked to attend an educational event of the Virginia War Memorial at a future time. The purpose of your visit would be to relate your experiences as an ROTC participant to students and teachers, and to describe how ROTC has helped you in your pursuit of higher education and service to our country.

Rear Admiral John Marocchi served in the United States Navy for decades, with a career that spanned service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Admiral Marocchi was one of very few Navy officers to complete Army Airborne training, and was a recipient of the Purple Heart and Legion of Merit. He also served for over fifteen years as a member of the Board of Trustees at the Virginia War Memorial. He was a person who used every opportunity to teach those around him, and all were able to benefit from his experience and perceptive view of the world. In his memory, a scholarship has been created to encourage and enable motivated students who plan to enroll or who are already enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at a Virginia school of higher education.

Read Full Biography of Rear Admiral John Marocchi

Marocchi Scholars Owen Hoy and Veronica Thieman with Secretary Crenshaw, Governor Youngkin, and General Ring, 2025

The 2025 recipients of the Marocchi Memorial Scholarship:

2025 High School Recipients:

  • Owen James Hoy, a graduating senior at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Va. who will attend James Madison University and participate in the U.S. Army ROTC program.
  • Leonardo Valli, a graduating senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Va. who will attend the University of Virginia: College of Engineering and Applied Science and participate in the U.S. Space Force under the U.S. Air Force ROTC program.

2025 College Recipients:

  • Riley McDonough of Colonial Beach, Va. is currently a student at Christopher Newport University majoring in Cybersecurity and a participant in the U.S. Army ROTC program.
  • Veronica Thieman of Fairfax, Va. is currently a student at the University of Virginia majoring in Cognitive Science and a participant in the U.S. Air Force ROTC program.

Meet the previous recipients of the Marocchi Memorial Scholarship:

2024:

Rudra B. Dave, University of Virginia (Air Force ROTC)
From Chantilly High School in Fairfax County, VA

Mikayla Moses, James Madison University (Army ROTC)
From Prince George High School in Prince George, VA

Nicolas Dungan, University of Virginia (Air Force ROTC) 
Mechanicsville, VA

Justin Whitley, Virginia Tech (Army ROTC)
Mechanicsville, VA

2023:

Jenny N. Calderon, George Mason University (Air Force ROTC)
From York High School, York, VA

Edward Barrett McFall, Virginia Tech (Navy ROTC program)
From Warwick High School, Newport News, VA

2022:
Danielle Kruise, Liberty University (Air Force ROTC)
From Hermitage High School, Henrico County

Yanik Alex Brandon, Virginia Tech (Army ROTC)
From Charlottesville High School, Charlottesville

2021:
Reed Jones, Virginia Tech (Army ROTC)
From Abingdon High School, Washington County

2020:
Ava Mister, Christopher Newport University (Army ROTC)
From Lee-Davis High School, Hanover County

Derek Sprincis, University of Virginia (Air Force ROTC)
From Clarke County High School, Clarke County

2019:
Alan Clark, Christopher Newport University (Army ROTC)
From Lake Braddock Secondary School, Fairfax County

Katie Lloyd, Virginia Military Institute (Navy/Marine Option ROTC)
From Caroline High School, Caroline County

2018:
Austin Askew, Virginia Tech (Army ROTC)
From Liberty Christian Academy, Lynchburg

Dakota Jennings, Virginia Commonwealth University (Army ROTC)
From JR Tucker High School, Henrico County