Youth member of the Young Marines, YM/GySgt Juliet Lopez, 15, from Fontana, California, was named a top ten graduate of the Young Marines’ National Leadership Academy held in Warrenton, Oregon. In addition, Lopez won the Iron Maiden Award, which is given to the female who receives the highest score on the physical fitness test (PFT). She scored 485 out of 500 possible points.
Lopez is a member of the San Bernardino Valley Young Marines in Rialto, California.
The Young Marines is a national youth leadership and service program for boys and girls aged 8 through high school graduation. The leadership academy focuses on teaching Young Marines leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline.
Lopez trained for two weeks to become a better leader alongside Young Marines from across the country. After physical and written tests, leadership classes, and close order drill, she was selected as a top ten graduate of the Advanced Leadership School.
“The Advanced Leadership School is the highest level of leadership training offered by the Young Marines,” said Col William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “YM/GySgt Lopez will take her new leadership skills back to the San Bernardino Valley Young Marines and her community.”
Lopez joined the Young Marines in 2016 and has been in the program for 5 years. She decided to join after she saw how much her oldest brother, Jaime, liked the program. She stated his enjoyment motivated both her and her younger brother, Johnathon, to join.
“The Leadership Academy was extremely valuable, something I will always remember as positively life changing,” Lopez said. “The Leadership Academy helped me improve in every aspect of my life from building self-confidence to learning to work and collaborate with others. It has helped me grow as a leader and motivated me to strive even harder towards mentoring my YMs and to work on my character.”
Lopez is the daughter of Jose and Cathy Lopez. She is one of five siblings and states that her parents, brothers, and sister have supported her endlessly and selflessly.
Both of her brothers, Jaime, and Johnathon are in the Young Marines. Cailey, her younger sister, plans to join the upcoming class.
Lopez attends Fontana High School, in California, and will graduate with the class of 2024. After high school, it is her goal to attend Stanford University and earn a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She then hopes to attend Stanford Law School and earn a Juris Doctors degree, becoming a lawyer.
The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501 (c)(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through the completion of high school. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
Since the Young Marines' humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to over 235 units with 8,000 youth and 2,500 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Japan, and affiliates in a host of other countries.
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