India, July 15 -- Seventeen-year-old Indian-origin student Riddhi Chauhan has earned one of the highest leadership roles in the United States Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC), serving as Battalion Commanding Officer at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens, New York. In this role, she leads nearly 300 cadets, overseeing training, battalion operations, and student welfare while balancing her academic responsibilities.

Riddhi's journey through the programme included serving as Academic Commander, STEM Commander, Platoon Leader, and Inspection Commander. She helped her school's team excel in national academic competitions and led the development of the unit's first SeaPerch underwater robot.

Over the years, she has...