3rd Qt Luncheon – AFA Sam Johnson Chapter: Scholarship Luncheon
2026 Annual Scholarship Luncheon 
The Honorable Congressman Keith Self
Texas 3rd Congressional District
Ms Beverly Briney
Daughter, Congressman Sam Johnson
Cadet Chris Troncoso
University of Oklahoma Army ROTC
2024 Sam Johnson Top Award Winner
Honoring
Our 2026 Scholarship Recipients
Once a year we recognize and honor the outstanding young people in our community who have excelled academically and demonstrated outstanding leadership skills. This year we will recognize recipients of honors in two of our scholarship programs:
Congressman Sam Johnson AFJROTC Scholarship Program
The Congressman Sam Johnson AFJROTC Scholarship Program was initiated in 2020 to recognize the outstanding AFJROTC graduates from our area high schools, assist them in their college careers and encourage them to consider military service. In 2025 it was selected as the Best Single Program in AFA and today includes 15 AFJROTC detachments in the Dallas area, covering 24 high schools. By this summer we’ll have awarded approximately $125,000 in scholarships since the program started. This year we were joined by the AFA Fort Worth Chapter, led by Chapter President Dave Dietsch. The program is supported by the family of Congressman Johnson and Congressman Keith Self, his successor as Texas representative from the 3rd Congressional District.
This year eight cadets were selected to receive a $3000 scholarship and one of them was selected by our Scholarship Committee to receive an additional $10,000.
$13,000 Scholarship Winner
Toluwabori Owosho – Ryan HS
$3,000 Scholarship WInners
Cornelious Carey – Cedar Hill HS
Alexander Gunnels – Forney HS
Zechariah Harris – Arlington ISD
Chase Molina – Marcus HS
Rodney Patterson – Wylie HS
Landry Rambo – Arlington ISD
Derek Rubio – Guyer HS
Youth Leadership Conference
For the past 11 years the Sam Johnson Chapter has co-sponsored with the Military Order of the World Wars, the Youth Leadership Conference Program. The chapter provides $300 scholarships to high school students to attend five-day, four-night resident summer conferences at four locations across the State, focusing on free enterprise, patriotism, and leadership fundamentals. In 2026 we provided five scholarships to this outstanding course and we’ll recognize these students
Texas A&M University
Bryan Li – St Marks
Grace Grant – Marcus HS
Lucas Herrera – St Marks
Texas Wesleyan University
Brayden McMillian – Lamar HS
Mounish Mavuduru – Frisco Emerson HS
Student Speaker: Cadet Chris Troncoso
Cadet Troncoso was the outstanding cadet in our 2024 Sam Johnson Scholarship program, and today is a rising junior enrolled in the Army ROTC program at the University of Oklahoma. He recently completed the prestigious and difficult Army Air Assault School and earned the coveted Air Assault Badge. We’ve invited him to speak on the value of the scholarship to him and his educational goals.
Scholarship Program Committee Recognition and “Change of Command”
Our flagship Sam Johnson Scholarship program is run by a dedicated team of volunteers who manage this complex program across 15 AFJROTC detachments and 24 regional high schools.
Chapter member Bill Harding has chaired the Committee since 2020, and his leadership resulted in it being selected as AFA’s Best Single Program in 2025. With no hills left to climb, Bill will turn over the program to Pete Hunt and we’ll have an appropriate :”Change of Command” ceremony.
Looking for Volunteers
As the Committee heads into the next school year, we are looking for volunteers to help us continue to be the best scholarship program in AFA. Activities include serving as liaisons with our AFJROTC and AFROTC units, representing the chapter at the school awards ceremonies, and serving on the Evaluation Subcommittee to score the scholarship packages. Most of these activities will occur in the Spring of 2027; some of them take only a few hours of your time but mean a lot to our future Airmen and Guardians while supporting our Educate, Advocate, Support mission pillars. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Pete Hunt at peterhunt2012@gmail.com, 210-867-0418.
Check-in opens 11:00 | Buffet opens 11:30 | Meeting Begins 12:00
Business casual | Uniform of the day
Military/CAP cadets/Scouts in uniform are free. For free cadet/military registration, click the link below or email Mike Bofferding .
