Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Lazenby, Senior Aerospace Science Instructor for Choctawhatchee High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program, has been named Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s 2026 National Aviation & Aerospace Teacher of the Year.
The award recognizes instructional excellence within an Embry-Riddle academy of 213 instructors across 178 schools nationwide, according to Lazenby. Choctaw is the only school in Okaloosa County participating in the Embry-Riddle Aerospace Career Academy, which brings university-level aviation and aerospace education into the high school classroom.
The AFJROTC program serves about 230 cadets each year and offers pathways to college credit, industry credentials, FAA certifications and military and civilian aviation careers, Lazenby said. He said the honor matters most for what it says about his students.
“The national teaching award is a tremendous honor, but what I’m most proud of is what our cadets are accomplishing,” Lazenby said. “From Trenton Peterson speaking at a national aerospace education conference to our graduates maintaining operational Air Force aircraft around the world, it’s incredibly rewarding to see where these young men and women are today and know that Choctaw AFJROTC helped get them there.”
From the classroom to the flight line
Several recent Choctaw graduates are now serving in aviation-related roles in the Air Force and Marine Corps.
Airman 1st Class Layth Atrakchi, a 2025 graduate, serves as a KC-46 Pegasus Crew Chief at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, where he launches, recovers, inspects, services and maintains aircraft that support the Air Force’s aerial refueling mission.
As a Choctaw aviation student, he logged flight hours toward his private pilot license and completed his first solo flight. He also studied unmanned aircraft, airfield operations, air traffic control communications, aviation procedures and aircraft systems, knowledge he now uses in daily aircraft maintenance, according to Lazenby.
- “The Choctawhatchee AFJROTC aviation program offered me remarkable opportunities to advance my aviation and aerospace career and knowledge,” Atrakchi said. “This program broadened my expertise and unlocked doors to opportunities I was unaware of.”
Also stationed at McConnell, Airman 1st Class Harold Cubillos, a 2024 graduate, works as an Electrical Power Production Specialist. He supports electrical power generation, including backup power systems that help sustain airfield operations, aircraft maintenance facilities and other installation infrastructure.
“JROTC definitely helped me adjust to military life, especially being away from home,” Cubillos said. “The discipline, structure, and leadership skills I learned made the transition into the Air Force a lot easier, and I’m grateful for that.”
Airman 1st Class Isaac Ochoa, a 2024 graduate, is stationed at Yokota Air Base in Japan as an Aircraft Propulsion Specialist. He inspects, maintains, troubleshoots and repairs engines and propulsion systems on C-130 aircraft that support missions across the Indo-Pacific region.
“The program at Choctaw was honestly the groundwork for me joining the military. It inspired me to believe that I could do anything if I was dedicated, no matter the bumps or bruises along the way,” Ochoa said. “But the program came second to the cadets, or more so the family I was with during that time. Each of us came from different backgrounds and struggles, but we still showed up day by day to create something greater than just one person. It gave me hope, and still does today.”
Airman 1st Class Alexander Barrientos, a 2026 graduate, serves as a Security Forces Airman at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, protecting military aircraft, flight lines, personnel and installations. He served as a flight chief during Security Forces technical training.
- “AFJROTC helped prepare me by giving me an understanding of military structure, expectations, and how the Air Force does things,” Barrientos said. “Having that foundation made the transition easier because I already had some familiarity with the environment I was entering.”
Barrientos said he hopes to use his education benefits after his service to pay for flight school, with a goal of becoming an airline pilot or a law enforcement helicopter pilot.
Marine Corps Pfc. Brandon Saldana, also a 2026 graduate, is preparing to begin aviation aircrew training. He hopes to serve aboard the UH-1Y Venom, a Marine Corps utility helicopter used for combat operations, troop transport and armed escort.
“AFJROTC and being an aviation cadet sparked my interest in aviation and inspired me to pursue a career in Marine Corps aviation,” Saldana said. “The program helped me discover a path I wanted to follow and gave me the motivation to pursue it.”
Pursuing commissions and pilot careers
Other former cadets are now in college Air Force ROTC programs with plans to commission as officers.
Jacob Bollenbach, a 2024 graduate, is a third-year AFROTC cadet at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, where he is studying information technology. He serves as Extra Training Hour Commander, leading and mentoring younger cadets, and has completed AFROTC Field Training. He has earned scholarships from the Northwest Florida Military Officers Association and the Air & Space Forces Association and hopes to become an Air Force pilot or a Combat Systems Officer aboard the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship.
“Discipline, leadership, aviation fundamentals, and many other principles I learned in AFJROTC have become the foundation for my success in Air Force ROTC and will continue to guide me as a future commissioned officer,” Bollenbach said.
Tommy Evans, also a 2024 graduate and third-year AFROTC cadet at UWF, is double majoring in chemistry and physics. He has completed Field Training and hopes to become an Air Force bomber pilot. Evans scored 99 in both the Pilot and Air Battle Manager sections of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, according to Lazenby. He is also involved in university laboratory research and tutors fellow students in chemistry and physics.
Evans credits Lazenby’s mentorship with steering him toward a military career he had not considered before his senior year.
- “I never thought I wanted to go into the Air Force or have a military career, until I took Lt Col Laz’s class my senior year,” Evans said. “It was due to his inspiring mentorship which encouraged me to solidify my decision about my career. I am proud to bring science to the Air Force.”
Trenton Peterson, a 2025 graduate, is studying aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus and is an Air Force ROTC cadet with Detachment 157. He hopes to fly the F-35 for the Air Force. Peterson was invited to speak at Embry-Riddle’s national aerospace education conference about how Choctaw’s AFJROTC and aviation programs shaped his plans, and he has volunteered to return to Choctaw to mentor current cadets.
In a message to his former instructors about his transition to Embry-Riddle, Peterson said the college ROTC environment felt familiar.
“The only thing that I can’t shake is how alike everything feels. It’s almost as if I was back home or even never left,” Peterson said. “I have to congratulate and thank all of you for the excellent leadership instruction and proper military bearing that is instilled into each cadet as it has provided a great benefit to transitioning into a college ROTC, especially one with as high of standards as this.”
Credentials before graduation
Lazenby said current cadets are earning qualifications before they leave high school.
Seven students have earned FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certification through the aviation program, and an eighth is expected to test this fall.
The program also has its largest aviation class to date, with more students pursuing industry credentials and FAA certifications this spring. Students are projected to earn 168 Embry-Riddle college credit hours during the 2026-27 school year, Lazenby said.
“These aren’t just classroom experiences. They’re college credits, FAA certifications, and industry-recognized qualifications,” Lazenby said. “Our cadets aren’t waiting until college to begin preparing for aerospace careers.”
Seeking funding and industry partners
Lazenby said the program is pursuing workforce development investment to expand, including potential funding from Triumph Gulf Coast. Additional money could expand professional flight simulation, unmanned aircraft training, industry and FAA certification opportunities and advanced aerospace instruction, he said.
“We’re not asking Triumph Gulf Coast to invest in the possibility of success,” Lazenby said. “We’re demonstrating success that already exists.”
The program is also seeking partnerships with regional aviation, aerospace, defense and technology organizations for internships, apprenticeships, mentorships, job shadowing and other hands-on experiences. Lazenby said those partnerships could help develop and retain homegrown aerospace talent in Northwest Florida.
“We’re building a bridge from the high school classroom to college, military service, industry credentials, and aerospace careers,” Lazenby said. “And we’re looking for partners who want to help us build it.”
