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May 17, 2023

PHS cadet wins full college scholarship from Air Force ROTC

A young woman in a blue uniform stands in front of an American flag, her name tag reads 'EBRAHIM'.

A Piscataway High School senior who has excelled for four years in Air Force Junior ROTC has been selected for a distinguished Air Force ROTC award that will give her a full scholarship to Penn State and launch her career as a military officer.

Nuzhat Ebrahim is one of just 150 winners nationwide of the J-100 Character-in-Leadership Scholarship and the first Piscataway student ever to win it. The award covers tuition and room and board at any college of the student’s choosing that offers Air Force ROTC. She will also get money for books, fees, and a stipend of cash for other essentials.

“It feels so amazing,” said Ebrahim, who prior to PHS attended Quibbleton Middle, M.L. King Intermediate, and Knollwood Elementary schools. “I’ve put my all into ROTC since freshman year. I joined drill and all the extracurriculars, and I think it paid off. My family is so excited.”

The qualifications for the scholarship go far beyond Junior ROTC involvement. To be considered, a student must have an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher, an SAT score of 1100 or higher, and score 50 percent or higher on the AFJROTC Physical Fitness Test.

A young woman in a military uniform stands in front of a wall with photos, smiling at the camera. Her name tag reads 'EBRAHIM'.

Lt. Col. Richard Kerr, senior aerospace science instructor at PHS, said Ebrahim is the first Piscataway student to meet all the qualifications and who has interest in a military career.

“We were very happy that she was able to apply for the scholarship and even happier that she got it,” he said.

Ebrahim ended her career in AFJROTC as the unit’s cadet commanding officer.

A young woman in a blue uniform stands in a school hallway, smiling at the camera.

“Whenever a leadership opportunity presented itself, she stepped into it,” Kerr said. “And senior year she became commander of the unit. She was the best choice as far as drive, ambition, and knowledge. When those three things come together, you have a good commander.

“She did a really good job, and she’s handing off to next year a good working unit. She’s been very helpful.”

After college, Ebrahim will earn an Air Force commission as a second lieutenant. She in majoring in criminology and minoring in sociology and hopes one day to become an intelligence officer.

“We were very lucky to have Nuzhat Ebrahim,” Kerr said, “and I think she is going to be very successful.”