JANUARY 2, 2024 — The Legion of Valor of the USA has awarded UTSA senior and Air Force ROTC Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Irizarry the 2023 Bronze Cross for Achievement. The award recognizes excellence in academics, military performance, leadership and community outreach and is among the highest recognitions an ROTC cadet can earn.
The oldest veteran service organization in the country, the Legion of Valor annually selects a small number of cadets from more than 1,700 college and university ROTC programs to receive the award. Irizarry is one of only four ROTC students in the nation to be selected for this year’s honor.
“I don't come from a military family or background, and I hope to prove that great leaders come from anywhere,” Irizarry said. “I am forever grateful to my parents, mentors and friends who have supported and challenged me as I strive toward my goals.”
Irizarry joined UTSA’s Air Force ROTC as a freshman in 2020. A cyber security major, she is on track to compete for distinguished graduate among UTSA’s AFROTC students, as well as competing to be in the top 10% of AFROTC graduates nationwide. She is an instructor for the Honor Guard and presents the colors for countless events across San Antonio.
Irizarry’s ROTC involvement extends outside of Texas. She was one of six students in the U.S. who was selected to attend the semester-long Cadet Exchange Program at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado in 2022. That same year, she attended the Academy’s inaugural Azimuth Summer Space Program, an education and training initiative for cadets considering a commission into the U.S. Space Force.
Additionally, Irizarry is a distinguished graduate of the 13-day intensive field training program, held at Maxwell Air Force Base, that includes physical conditioning, weapons exposure and survival training. Ranking second out of 380 cadets, Irizarry earned recognition as an outstanding mentor and motivator and was selected to help train the next class of cadets attending field training.
In addition to the Bronze Cross, Irizarry has received the Air Force Association Top Cadet award, the Reserve Officers Association Award and the American Legion Scholastic Excellence Award.
USAF Col. Gregory Cyrus, commander of UTSA’s AFROTC detachment and professor of aerospace studies, said he couldn’t be prouder of Irizarry and all the cadets in the program.
“Irizarry is one of many talented future Air and Space Force leaders graduating from UTSA,” Cyrus said. “I’ve only been with the program for a short time, but I can already see that the cadets in this detachment are going to do great things for our nation.”
Irizarry will lead the entire cadet wing as cadet commander during her last semester and looks forward to commissioning into the Air Force as an intelligence officer following her graduation in May 2024.
Irizarry’s Bronze Cross for Achievement is one of many accomplishments for the cadets and cadre of UTSA’s AFROTC Detachment 842. In 2022, the detachment earned multiple awards from Air University (AU) — the leading agent in professional Air Force education — including the Holm Center Team of the Year award, which is the highest honor a team can receive from AU.
In recent years, the detachment was a two-time recipient of both the High Flight Award for best large detachment in its region and the Right of Line Best Large Detachment Award. The latter is a national honor based on metrics including officer production, recruiting and retention efforts, scholarships and community service.
UTSA’s growing Air Force ROTC detachment is the 11th largest in the country. It provides students at colleges and universities across San Antonio with an opportunity to learn national security, aerospace studies and practical leadership skills while receiving a first-rate education.
The AFROTC program is housed in University College, one of seven colleges at UTSA. The college is also home to the Army ROTC and other programs including Academic Inquiry and Scholarship, Dual Credit, Multidisciplinary Studies and the Writing Program.
Military-affiliated students, including active-duty military members, veterans, reserves/guards and their spouses and dependents, comprise nearly 16% of UTSA’s student population. The UTSA Center for Military Affiliated Students serves as a one-stop shop for important resources such as professional development and benefits workshops, social events and dedicated counselors to help military-connected students develop a sense of belonging on campus and achieve their educational goals.
As the hometown university of Military City USA, UTSA serves one of the nation’s largest active and retired military populations. In recognition of its efforts to serve this community, the university was named a 2022-2023 Gold Military Friendly School and was ranked among the nation’s top colleges for military service members and veterans in Military Times’ 2022 “Best for Vets” list.
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