Venus and Cloud Rodin, 2020 graduates of Hilo High School, have both won Army ROTC National Scholarships. These scholarships are only given out to 2,000 students per year.
A Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship is worth up to $100,000, which goes towards tuition and educational fees. Scholarship winners also receive an allowance of up to $1,500 a year and $1,200 a year for books. Room and board, meal plans, and a stipend per month a will be fully covered.
Both sisters have been very active in their community through Hilo High School JROTC, Key Club, Upward Bound, wrestling, cross country, track and field, National Honor Society, Project Unify, Class Council, internships, RYLA, and Relay for Life.
The Rodins say they have done it for their legal guardian, Helga Kraus, who they have lived with for 5 years.
They plan to attend Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Ore. They will be in the Army ROTC program studying to graduate as officers into the Army, where they will serve for five years.