Photo from the OSD
Oxford High School MJROTC’s Cadet Commanding Officer, Major Lawson Brines, has been named Cadet of the Year for the state of Mississippi. Brines is an OHS senior who has completed four years in the MJROTC.
Brines is the son of Warner and Maria Brines. He will be attending Ole Miss in the fall of 2020, participating in Army ROTC on scholarship.
After completing four years of Army ROTC at Ole Miss, Brines will enter the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant and said he aims to be an Army Infantry Officer who leads infantry soldiers and eventually become an Army Green Beret.
Prior to starting ROTC at the age of 14, Brines started Jiu-Jitsu when he was 13 years old.
“Doing Jiu-Jitsu and serving the country are really the only two things I have ever wanted to do with my life,” he said.
Brines is an undefeated professional grappler and trains six days a week. He dreams of owning his own Jiu-Jitsu academy one day.
“In ROTC, I learned the leadership principles that I apply everywhere else,” he said.
Brines also attributes his leadership development to two former MJROTC teachers at OHS- First Seargent Leach and Major Hampton.
“They both taught me a lot about my personal leadership style and helped me see a bigger picture,” he said.
During the 2018-2019 school year, Oxford High experienced a short period of time without an ROTC instructor when students and school leadership kept the program moving forward.
“I have worked really hard to get to where I am, but I want to make it clear – I did not run this program, we all did,” Brines said. “I wouldn’t be anything without the rest of these cadets.”
OHS MJROTC is currently under the direction of Captian Gary Baxter.
Courtesy of the Oxford School District
