An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | July 21, 2021

Son follows father into ChalleNGe Academy for 2nd chance

By Maj. (MD) Richard P. Barnes, Maryland Defense Force, Public Affairs

BALTIMORE – Twenty years after Brandon Bullock attended the Maryland National Guard’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, his son, Jeremy, joined the same program at the Edgewood Arsenal of Aberdeen Proving Ground July 11.

While a whole new experience awaits Jeremy in the program, which provides at-risk youth with academic, job and life skills training focusing on positive values, his father will know what he will be doing for the next 5 1/2 months.

The structured environment gives cadets hope and the opportunity to become productive citizens. While enrolled in the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, cadets can earn a GED diploma and obtain a driver’s license.

“I noticed my son going down a similar track that I was on at one point in my life,” said Brandon Bullock, who attended the program in 2001. “We discussed it and thought it would be in his best interest to come here and do the same thing I did to turn my life around.”

Established under federal and state law in 1993, the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy is a state-run, nearly 18-week residential and post-residential intervention for 16– to 18-year-olds who have dropped out of high school or are at risk of dropping out.

When asked what changes he noticed in his life after graduating, Brandon said: “Mainly, having structure in my life, accountability for myself and my actions and to be able to set goals for myself in the future.” 

Once Jeremy was in-processed,  he and his father embraced before parting ways. Both are looking forward to a positive outcome for Jeremy.

The Freestate ChalleNGe Academy is a division of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. It services students from around Maryland and accepts applications year-round. Classes begin twice each year, in January and July, and are continuous for 5 ½ months. Following the residential phase of the program, cadets must complete the 12-month post-residential phase.

 

 

Related Articles
Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, the adjutant general of Idaho and commander of the Idaho National Guard, congratulates one of 120 high school students who graduated from the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy Dec. 16, 2023, in Boise, Idaho. The Department of Defense program provides second chances to at-risk teens.
At-risk Teens Begin New Path as ChalleNGe Academy Graduates
By National Guard Bureau | Jan. 4, 2024
WASHINGTON - Hundreds of young people across the nation ended 2023 by graduating from Youth ChalleNGe Academy programs that provide discipline and education to set at-risk teenagers on a path to success. In Boise, Idaho, more...

Airmen and Soldiers of the Maryland National Guard and members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina pose for a group photo after scenario injects of changing a tire and engine repair during a convoy operation from Zenica to Visoko, in Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, April 7, 2025. The Maryland National Guard and the AFBiH held a joint logistics, vehicle maintenance, and public affairs exchange — Maryland’s largest State Partnership Program event in BiH — to help prepare AFBiH for Immediate Response–DEFENDER 25.
Maryland Guard Strengthens Ties With Bosnia and Herzegovina
By Maj. Benjamin Hughes, | April 8, 2025
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina – The Maryland National Guard and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) conducted a joint logistics exchange as part of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program,...

Maryland and Pennsylvania National Guard members arrive at the District of Columbia Armory to prepare for the electoral certification mission Jan. 5, 2024. The counting and certification of electoral votes was designated a National Special Security Event.
DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania Guard Support Election Certification
By Master Sgt. Arthur Wright, | Jan. 8, 2025
WASHINGTON - District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania National Guard members were deputized by U.S. Capitol Police as a reserve force for the 2025 counting and certification of electoral votes Jan. 6. At the request of...