Dr. Phillips cadet recognized worldwide

It’s not often someone can claim to be the best in the world at something.

But now, Dr. Phillips High student Mayra Feliciano can do just that.

The senior recently was named Cadet of the Year for 2025 by the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. It’s a global honor and placed Feliciano as a top cadet worldwide.

“It feels really crazy,” Feliciano said. “I still can’t believe it.” 

It all started with her curiosity. 

When she was in eighth grade, Feliciano attended a fair for upcoming high-schoolers to learn what schools in the area had to offer. 

She came across a woman in a green jumpsuit, which sparked her interest since she had never seen anything like it before. 

“She told me that she got it from doing the Flight Academy with JROTC,” Feliciano said. “And then I came to this school and saw that they had a JROTC here, and I was like ‘You know what? I want to try it out.’ Ever since that first month, I knew I was going to stay here.” 

As a fourth-year cadet and wing commander, Feliciano holds the highest position in her unit. 

“I oversee all operations and make sure everything is running smoothly — the cadets are being trained, our after-school activities are up-to-date, events are getting spread out to the unit and communication to make the unit run,” she said. 

Her instructor, Lt. Col. Richard Proctor, submitted her name against 95,000 other cadets worldwide for her hard work, dedication and curiosity while in the program. 

“One day he came in the classroom after the decision was made and said, ‘You’re No. 1 cadet,” Feliciano said. 

Her mother, Agnes Feliciano, was shocked to learn her daughter received the recognition. 

“When we first heard it, we were like, ‘Oh, wow, in Florida?’ And she was like ‘Nope, it’s bigger than that!’ So I said, ‘In the country?’ and she said, ‘No, in the world,’” Agnes Feliciano said as she laughed about the memory. 

Feliciano’s eagerness and curiosity is what led her to continue the JROTC program in high school and fuel her passion to earn the recognition. 

“It was a very welcoming community, and I met a lot of friends,” she said. “High school is as hard as it is because you’re considered the adult now. ‘What do you want to do for college?’ ‘What do you want to do with your career and life?’ So a lot of big decisions, but I was able to meet people that were like-minded, or even people that were different that kind of opened me up to the world, and I made a lot of long-lasting friends.” 

Feliciano said the program has made her more confident and helped her overcome her shyness.

“Stepping up is a big challenge, because a lot of people and even myself, we are kind of closed off,” she said. “We don’t really talk to strangers or people, so it’s kind of hard coming out of your shell but you know, with these programs, like one of the things you have to do is plan field trips and things like that, you have to talk to people, you have to call people on the phone. So I kind of just had to suck it up and do it. I’m not going to shy away from anything anymore.” 

Feliciano said there are multiple challenges when it comes to JROTC, but they are worth it in the end. 

“This program is really good, and it produces the best citizens that you could possibly think of,” she said. “There’s definitely a lot of other people that can get (the recognition) and got it in the past, but it’s crazy to believe I did and I’m kind of happy that I could bring it to the school as well.” 

Feliciano hopes to continue endeavors in ROTC when she heads to college in 2026, hoping to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. 

“Her ultimate goal is to fly a fighter jet,” Agnes Feliciano said. “That’s a lot, you know? That’s pretty scary, but she wants to do it so we’ll find a way to do it. … The sky is not the limit; it’s just the beginning.” 

During the summer, Feliciano received a $27,500 scholarship to earn a Private Pilot Certificate at age 17. She also has earned her FAA Drone License, which allows her to legally operate drones for commercial purposes within the United States.

“Without the program, a lot of people would be lost, and I wouldn’t know what I’d do,” she said. “There isn’t something here that I think I would have connected with if there wasn’t this program here. It’s great. I recommend it to anyone — any high-schooler, even future high-schoolers. It’s awesome. I’d even put my kids through it.” 

Feliciano said the program offers a variety of things —learning opportunities, personal growth, friendships, maturity and more. 

WANT TO JOIN? 

Mayra Feliciano offers these tips to students considering  joining a JROTC program.

“(The program) is going to have its challenges, and we’re going to push you, but we want to push you to be a better version of yourself,” she said. “So if theres’s people (who are) hard on you, it’s because we want to see you succeed. So I would say, don’t give up if something gets hard. Even though we have the strict side of it like marching and all that stuff, it’s a nice environment and good learning environment, as well.”