Okkodo High School senior Scott Aflague is already looking forward to starting his military career after graduation.

"I finally got accepted to the Naval Academy Preparatory School, it for me to do more training before I head into the Naval Academy," he said.

The achievement comes in part to his school's Marine Corps JROTC program. It too, has much to celebrate. 

For 10 years, the program continuously failed its commanding general inspection and the school had trouble finding certified instructors. That changed about two years ago when instructor Vincent Santiago joined their ranks. The program saw a complete shift.

"I don’t need them walking around, thinking it was great because it wasn’t this program was not great at all and I saw where we needed to go and I raised the bar," he said. "They raised the bar with me and they rose to the occasion and we were successful this year because of their hard work and diligence."

That diligence paid off -- high marks during a recent inspection. 

"We had no discrepancies our inspector who is our regent fort director who said we are one of the best schools in our region," Aflague explained.

Others in the program, like senior Sean Ano and junior Isabelle Cruz don't have plans to join the service after high school but both are beyond grateful to be a part of the program's journey toward success. 

"I just see that this program is very beneficial for cadets the helps build character," Ano said. 

"This program offers a lot of opportunities and it teaches a lot of leadership skills and you can definitely learn so much in this program and how it makes you a better person," Cruz said. 

It's an opportunity for Santiago who will leave his mark by having others go through the program he helped to keep around. 

"This whole program made me who I am today," he said. "I wouldn't be anything without it. They gave me the mentality, they gave me the physical fitness, leadership, academics, the professionalism to do anything in the workforce. This program made me who I am."