AFJROTC

What is AFJROTC?

The Air Force Junior ROTC program is grounded in the Air Force core values of “integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.” The program has more than 870 Air Force Junior ROTC units in high schools world-wide. There are more than 125,000 high school cadets in the program and more than 1,900 retired USAF instructors who lead, mentor, guide, and teach our cadets in high schools in the U.S. and around the world. Air Force Junior ROTC enjoys overwhelming school administration and community support because of the huge positive impact on cadets, schools, communities, and our nation.

Additional content on AFJROTC Program is available on the USAF AFJROTC site at https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/

Instructors

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Colonel (Retired) Vincent E. Bugeja is our Senior Aerospace Science Instructor (SASI). Colonel Bugeja served 30 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve as an Acquisition Officer and a Personnel Officer. He is currently serving in his 9th year as Homestead Senior High School SASI and AFJROTC Department Head.

- BS Civil Engineering, United States Air Force Academy 1985
- Masters in Engineering Mgt, Western New England College 1986
- MBA Finance Concentration, Wright State University 1994

Master Sergeant (Retired) Mark K. Margara is our first Aerospace Science Instructor (ASI). MSgt Margara served 22 years in the Air Force and brings a wealth of experience to the program, including Security Forces, Recruiting, Operations Resource Management and deployments to Panama and other locations. He is currently serving his 19th year as Homestead Senior High School ASI.

- BA in History, McKendree University 2000.
- Bachelor of Arts in History (Education), Liberty University 2020

instructor

Master Sergeant (Retired) Edward E. Thompson Jr. is our second Aerospace Science Instructor (ASI). MSgt Thompson served 20 years in the Air Force as a communications signal analyst and as a Project Manager overseeing satellite collection assets. He is currently serving his 6th year as Homestead Senior High School ASI.

- BA in Biblical and Educational Studies, Liberty University 2016

Cadet Leaders

jrotc

C/LtCol Michael Irizarry
2025-2026 Group Commander

jrotc

C/Maj Azli Vargaz
2025-2026 Deputy Group Commander

jrotc

C/SMSgt Imani White
2025-2026 Group Superintendent

Activities

There are a broad number of activities associated with our AFJROTC Program. Most of our activities fall under one of the below domains:

Community Service – the second of our USAF Core Values “Service Before Self” is manifested in the many opportunities we provide our Cadets to give back to our community. Some specific community Service Opportunities include;
1. AFJROTC Blood Drive – In partnership with the ONEBLOOD Drive organization, our AFJROTC Cadets manage/facilitate donations by eligible Homestead SHS Students (17 or older) to donate blood.
2. City of Homestead 9/11 Freedom Walk - Our AFJROTC Cadets assist the local Veteran’s group in charge of event with all preparations immediately preceding the start of parade. Additionally, our Cadets also march during this parade.
3. City of Homestead Veteran’s Day Parade – Our AFJROTC Cadets consistently march during this event.
4. Local Food Drives - each year our cadets manage 3-4 local food drives benefiting either the local community or any additional cause related to natural disasters
5. Purple Star School Program – Our AFJROTC Cadets participate in our HSHS Purple Star initiative, an opportunity to serve as our school ambassadors to newly arrived Military Connected Children – helping them acclimate to all aspects of life as a student at Homestead Senior High School.
Curriculum in Action – Each year our cadets participate in additional activities that are reasonably correlated with either the Leadership or Aerospace bodies of knowledge that form the foundation of our curriculum for AFJROTC. Some examples include:
1. Miami Military Museum visits
2. MDCPS Pass In Review – annual event with all MDCPS JROTC units to be reviewed/inspected by our MDCPS Superintendent
3. Field trips to Homestead Air Reserve Base – at least once a year, our AFJROTC unit is invited to Homestead ARB to learn about many of the roles/missions of its military units – with intent on awareness of what the “real” Air Force is like – possibly motivating for career opportunities.
4. Military Ball – each year our Cadets conduct a formal dining event know as a “Military Ball” with all the customs and courtesies associated with a Military Dining In event. We will invite sister AFJROTC units from MDCPS (Hialeah and South Ridge High Schools).

Extracurricular Programs

Honor Guard – Our most popular after school program is our Honor Guard. We prepare for competition events (Drill Meets) against other MDCPS JROTC Schools on a broad range of marching competitions. Some events we commonly participate in are the Color Guard, Squad Competition as well as Platoon Competition. In addition to preparing for our local events, we also train for two Air Force Specific activities – Our Air Force Color Guard Team (presenting Colors at many school and Miami-Dade County public events as well as our Organizational 30 Commands Drill, required as part of our AFJROTC Leadership Curriculum. AFJROTC photo

Rocketry – This is our Science and Technology offering. The exact nature of the instruction will vary annually based on Cadet interest. Specific areas include but are not limited to orbital mechanics, robotics, physical launching of rockets and others. AFJROTC photo

Running Club – this club is entirely a local initiative in our unit. It was originally created at the requests of some Cadets to learn how to participate in long distance running events from a 5K to as long a s Half marathon (13.1 miles). AFJROTC photo

Scholarships

Flight Academy

The AFJROTC Flight Academy offers cadets to an opportunity to attend private pilot training at public/private universities during the summer. Selected Cadets will be identified through a competitive boarding process. The scholarship will pay for round-trip airfare, room and board, collegiate academics and the flight hours required to potentially earn a Private Pilot’s Certificate (PPC) through an in-residence collegiate program that is approximately eight (8) weeks in length.

Applicants must be current sophomore, junior, or senior AFJROTC Cadets who understand they are volunteering for a scholarship to a public/private university. There is no military service commitment or obligation, nor does program completion justify acceptance to military service, ROTC scholarship, or military academy appointment. Applicants must