Andrew Chandler
“For as long as I can remember, my goals have been shaped by my love for our country. I love that it is built on the principle that all people are created equal, endowed with inalienable rights, and can only be justly governed with consent.” These opening words from Andrew’s Ruritan Scholarship Application might make you think he is headed to law school. Think again. Andrew will graduate from Virginia Tech’s Corps of Cadets as an officer in the US Marine Corps!
The program, available at only two universities in the US, is more intense than traditional ROTC as well as broader in options than programs at US Military Academies like West Point and Annapolis. “We will live in residence halls dedicated for the Cadets program, wear uniforms, and include a traditional career-focused major in our individual programs.” Committed to serve as an active-duty Marine, Andrew will study Computer Engineering to start and is open to consider fields that will best complement his military career. Discipline and leadership development are hallmarks of the Corps of Cadets program and Andrew is no stranger to either one.
Andrew was homeschooled until he entered high school at Evergreen Christian School in Leesburg. “I loved learning about the connection between the Christian faith of our founding fathers and their vision for our country. Homeschooling helps you live your family’s values every day and requires both discipline and strong commitment.”
The pandemic didn’t change much for Andrew as a homeschooler. “I did have anxiety about moving to a school for high school and was worried that I would not make any friends.” The pleasant surprise he found his first year was making a great circle of friends and having the energy for friendships, schoolwork, sports and earning money.
He had taken up the guitar in his middle school years and joined the Worship Band at Christian Fellowship Church. His family then joined Heritage Baptist Church where there was no youth program for him to support with his talent. Not to worry, Andrew started volunteering in audio production as worship services were streamed on-line because of the pandemic.
Earning money and balancing that with sports and schoolwork was very important to Andrew. Throughout high school, he has worked three part-time paying jobs. He was a lifeguard at Ida Lee Recreation Center, a farm hand at Loudounberry taking care of the chickens and stocking shelves, as well as being paid as the Facilities Manager at Heritage Baptist.
Discipline? Andrew did not have a sports program available at Evergreen Christian School, but he participated in team sports through a regional swimming league as a member of Machine Aquatics. What was required? 16 hours of weekly swimming, including 5 AM practices and sometimes two practices a day. The team was highly competitive and gave him the opportunity to compete at the national level in places like Orlando.
You would think with all these commitments, that Andrew might have taken extra time to finish high school. Just the opposite. He doubled up on coursework and “skipped” what would have been his Junior year at Evergreen. This was accomplished with a more than full load of AP courses that are sending him to Virginia Tech with 29 academic credits already completed. “This was the hardest decision I had to make in high school. It was a tough road, but it paid off. It was my idea. I talked to my parents and teachers before making the decision, but the decision was mine.”
“The Few, The Proud,” is the slogan of the US Marines familiar to almost every American. The slogan proved itself again at Virginia Tech’s 2023 graduation when of 224 students who completed the Corps of Cadets program, only 10 (less than 5%) were commissioned as US Marine officers. Congratulations Andrew! All of us, not just a few of us, are proud of what you accomplished so far! Go to the Corps this fall with the best wishes and sincere appreciation for your commitment to our country from all of us in Lucketts!
