SHREVEPORT, La. - A Louisiana ceremony celebrated the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program’s 100,000th graduate on Jan. 22.
It was a special day for families at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium here as 197 cadets from across the state graduated from the Louisiana National Guard’s Camp Minden Youth ChalleNGe Program.
“YCP is an investment in the future of America,” Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, told the young graduates.
Louisiana was chosen to mark the 100,000 milestone because it has one of the nation’s strongest Youth ChalleNGe programs and is the only state with three campuses.
In 18 years, the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program has grown to be one of the largest mentoring programs in the nation, second only to Big Brothers Big Sisters, McKinley said.
U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, also a guest speaker at the ceremony, said Youth ChalleNGe was created to help meet the needs of our society’s youth. The Guard took that need and turned it into opportunity.
"There was a gap in filling the needs of our young people, and the National Guard stepped in to help," said Landrieu.
"That's what the Guard does; they see a need and they stand in the gap when no one else will."
Cadet Tori R. Walston was named Cadet of the Cycle and will serve as ambassador of the 100,000 Youth ChalleNGe graduates at a March gala in Washington, D.C.
Walston addressed her classmates, remembering their journey from “misguided adolescents” to “disciplined young adults” during the five-month residential phase of the program.
The 16-year-old plans to attend McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., and join the Guard once she turns 17.
Five cadets, including Watson, each received a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.
BAE Systems presented $10,000 in scholarships for each of Louisiana’s three Youth ChalleNGe campuses. Approximately one in four Youth ChalleNGe graduates goes on to college.
A group of cadets selected by their instructors were also treated to a meet-and-greet with two spokesmen from the National Guard Youth Foundation, WWE wrestler Kofi Kingston and J.R. Hildebrand, driver of the National Guard IndyCar.
Army Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, hosted the celebration.