RICHMOND, VA – Fork Union Military Academy is proud to announce that senior Ethan Schroyer has been honored with the prestigious Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award. The recognition was bestowed upon Schroyer at a ceremony held on Thursday evening.  

As the Battalion Commander holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Schroyer emerged as one of the 11 Virginia high school students selected for this esteemed award, which is presented to outstanding students in each congressional district in Virginia. Schroyer was specifically chosen from Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.  

Established in 1995, the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award program aims to recognize and nurture public service, which is critical to the preservation of American democracy, by awarding Virginia’s high school seniors who demonstrate a combination of excellence of character, qualities of leadership, devotion to duty and academic accomplishment with a $25,000 award. 

The nomination process, which commences annually in September, involves all public and private high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia nominating one senior who best embodies the spirit of the award.  This year, the Award Screening Committee, comprised of Deans of Admission from prestigious institutions such as University of Virginia, the College of William & Mary, Washington and Lee University, and Virginia Tech, diligently reviewed over 300 applicants.  The 33 finalists underwent separate interviews over two days in Richmond by the Award Selection Committee, leading to the award winners' announcement.  

Schroyer, son of Jason Schroyer of Newport News, Virginia, and Sophie Schroyer of North East, Maryland, has been a Trustee Scholar at the Academy since 2020. Alongside his role as the Battalion Commander, he serves as the captain of the Debate Team, is an active member of our track & field program and has been a member of the Interact and Quadrille clubs at Fork Union. His impactful work with the Afghani refugee community in Charlottesville stood out to the Award Selection Committee.  

Schroyer’s dedication to service and academic achievements were further highlighted as he received the 2022-23 National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship for the Summer Arabic language program, spending the summer of 2022 in Amman, Jordan. While awaiting college admission decisions, Schroyer is considering deferring enrollment for a year to return to the Middle East and continue his service to native populations while perfecting his Arabic language skills. 

In his letter of recommendation for the award, Fork Union’s Assistant Director of College Placement and Academic Services, Dr. James Benson, stated, “Every time I interact with Ethan, I come away energized and filled with hope for the future leaders of society.” 

Schroyer’s remarkable achievement marks him as the first cadet to receive the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Award at the Academy. Last year, Ousmane Dieng was named a finalist, making Fork Union one of the few schools in the award’s history to have back-to-back finalists. 

For more information on the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award, please visit https://byrdleadershipaward.org/.