Riverwood Student Earns ROTC Scholarship

CANTON, GA — Riverwood International Charter School recent graduate, Alex Gruenig, is the recipient of a full four-year Army Reserve Officer Training Core (ROTC) Scholarship. Gruenig (Riverwood Class of 2019) will attend Auburn University, where he plans to study political science and international relations. He will participate in Auburn’s ROTC program, and upon graduation, he will be commissioned as an Army 2nd Lieutenant, committed to four years of military service.

“I am excited about the opportunity to train to be an officer in the Army during my time at Auburn and to serve my country,” Gruenig said. “I would encourage others to apply for an ROTC scholarship as it gives you the opportunity to not only pay for college but to get extensive leadership training while in college and afterwards as an officer in the Army.”

Army Lieutenant Torres from Georgia State University presented Gruenig with a symbolic payment check at a ceremony at Riverwood on May 17.

According to Army publicity, 12,000 high school seniors nationally compete for approximately 2,000 Army ROTC scholarships. Half of those are four-year scholarships like Gruenig received. Students compete for ROTC scholarships like any other scholarship, and they are selected based on grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. They are also required to pass an Army Physical Fitness Test with a score of 180 points.

While a student at Riverwood, Gruenig was a four-year Varsity letterman on the Wrestling team; he was voted captain his senior year. He was selected to serve as an assistant for two years in Riverwood’s Community Based Instruction program, where he worked with developmentally challenged students.

Gruenig played baseball his freshman year and worked as a camp counselor for a number of summers. His father, Steve, attended The United States Military Academy (West Point), and after graduating and completing flight school, flew OH 58 helicopters in the Persian Gulf War