SENIOR KRISTEN SAMUELS WINS LENNARD HIGH SCHOOL’S JROTC CADET OF THE YEAR

By Madeline Gardner

Petty Ofcer 1st Class Diana Bautista, a Riverview native, serves with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71, operating out of San Diego, California. The squadron’s primary mission is to conduct sea control operations in open-ocean and coastal environments. This includes hunting for submarines, searching for surface targets over the horizon and conducting search and rescue operations.

Bautista, a 2014 Richard C. Spoto High School graduate, joined the Navy eight years ago.

“I joined the Navy because I wanted to do something with my life that served a higher purpose,” said Bautista. “I was also interested in the financial benefits and assistance in earning a college degree.”

Skills and values learned in the Navy are similar to those Bautista found living and attending school in Riverview. “I learned the importance of discipline,” said Bautista. “I was in Navy Junior ROTC in high school, and that helped when I joined the military.”

Today, Bautista serves with the helicopter squadron that flies the U.S. Navy’s MH60R Seahawk helicopters. The MH-60R is a twin-engine helicopter used for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, drug interdiction, anti-ship warfare, cargo lift and special operations.

With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy ofcials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.

“Our mission remains timeless — to provide our fellow citizens with nothing less than the very best Navy: fully combat-ready at all times, focused on warfighting excellence and committed to superior leadership at every single level,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations. “This is our calling. And I cannot imagine a calling more worthy.”

As Bautista and other sailors continue to perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.

“I get to protect my country while earning benefits that help me with my goals in life,” said Bautista.

Bautista is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I’d like to thank Master Chief Nadine Greene and Chief Roberts,” added Bautista. “They were my ROTC instructors in high school.”

On March 29, senior Cadet Kristen Samuels received the Bronze American Eagle Award after being recognized as Lennard High School’s JROTC Cadet of the Year. The ceremony was held in the high school’s auditorium from 5:30-7 p.m. and included the presence of visiting civic organizations such as the American Legion and the Vietnam Veterans of America, who selected cadets to receive their awards for the 2022-23 school year.

“Kristen is an outstanding cadet worthy of the title ‘2022-23 Longhorn Cadet of the Year,’ as she is an incredible young lady with the requisite skills, values and aptitude to succeed at any institutional level, as well as in life,” said LTC (R) David Dietz, Lennard High School’s senior Army instructor.

To receive this award, Samuels had to maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA and remain in good standing with both her JROTC cadre and the Longhorn Battalion. Beyond embodying honor and integrity, she also had to hold a leadership position.

Participating in Lennard’s JROTC program for all four years of high school, Samuels was the Battalion Commander for both her junior and senior years. This is the highest position a Cadet can attain in the JROTC program.

Tasked with directing the cadet staf and its four companies of cadets, Samuels is responsible for determining which cadets are eligible to partake in extracurricular and community support activities upon an evaluation of their grades and standing within the Longhorn Battalion. By maintaining clear communication with the company commanders and ensuring all cadets remain informed, she assists in maintaining the battalion’s order and function.

Samuels was also recognized with the Daughters of the American Revolution Award for her service, patriotism, and courage. Additionally, she also received the Lennard Teachers Commendation Award, which signifies a cadet’s good standing with any teacher concerning grades, behavior, and timeliness.

After graduation, Samuels intends to attend the University of South Florida (USF). While working towards earning a bachelor’s degree in criminology, she also plans to enter the USF ROTC program, and later commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Samuels cited that opportunities through JROTC have encouraged her to grow and prepare for her future.

“JROTC has been a motivational factor in my life, and I’ve worked hard in this program to learn new skills, especially leadership, and exceed my abilities,” said Samuels. “Being Cadet of the Year is an absolute honor because it shows that my hard work has paid of and that this is only the kickstart to my future.”

Children and teens who are facing immediate crisis often think they have nowhere or no one to turn to. The truth is, that is not the case. Children and teens in crisis can utilize Safe Place, with which students and teens can receive immediate help through a single text message.

Safe Place is a national initiative locally managed by Hillsborough County Children’s Services that provides access to help and supportive resources for youth in need. It does not matter what the situation is that the child or teen is facing. Whether they have had a fight with their parents or are fleeing domestic abuse in the home, children under the age of 18 can visit any of the dozens of Safe Place locations in Hillsborough County — most of which are open 24/7 — to get assistance.

Hillsborough County ofers nearly 200 Safe Place locations for children in need. These come in many forms, from fire sta-

By Kathy L. Collins

tions to libraries, and even many McDonald’s locations. At each Safe Place location, there are staf trained to help, and each one displays the recognizable yellow-andblack “Safe Place” sign to provide a visual cue for kids to know they are in a safe place.

Locally, the Safe Place locations include the Brandon Recreation Center, Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, McDonald’s on Bloomingdale Avenue and Boys & Girls Club Dover Unit.

Children and teens in crisis can text ‘SAFE’ with their current location to 4HELP (44357) and, within seconds, receive a message with the closest Safe Place site and the phone number to Children’s Services. The employee at the Safe Place location will call Hillsborough County Children’s Services and, within 30-60 minutes, a qualified Safe Place volunteer or staf member will arrive to talk to the youth, who, if necessary, will provide transportation to the Children’s Services campus in Tampa. Once at the campus, the counselors will meet with the youth and their family to make sure they receive the help and professional services they need. For more information about Safe Place in Hillsborough County, including how your organization can become a Safe Place location, please visit its website at www.hcflgov. net/children.

Among life’s certainties is the paying of taxes and fees to government entities that then spend the money for the benefit of residents on things like roads and other infrastructure, or services such as fire protection.

As Hillsborough County’s tax collector, Nancy Millan is responsible for the collection of revenue payments from residents so they can operate a business, own a home, fish for snook or drive a car, as examples.

She was elected to the ofce in November 2020, and while she is the newest Hillsborough County tax collector, it is a position that Millan is familiar with, having served as the agency’s director of community relations for 20 years.

According to Millan, her experience of connecting the community with the county’s administrative and civic processes while working for her predecessor, Doug Belden, influences her work in leading the tax ofce and also played a part in wanting to continue serving county residents by running for election to the position.

“I’m very passionate about this ofce and the work we’ve done, and I wanted to move forward with the excellent foundation to provide excellent service,” she said, adding, “I knew what success looked like.”

By Brad Stager

The COVID-19 pandemic has afected tax ofce operations over the last three years, and the resulting innovations will continue to do so as Millan encourages adoption of technology that ofers residents flexibility in taking care of routine administrative matters.

“We learned there’s a diferent way of doing business,” she said.

Among the innovations are the ability to take a driver’s license road test in a remote fashion, with the examiner observing and evaluating an applicant’s driving skills via cell phone. Other technologies deployed to facilitate public access to the tax ofce include self-service kiosks located at some Publix supermarkets and a bilingual (English and Spanish) chatbot named Sofie on the tax collector website to provide customer assistance.

The high level of customer service expected of tax collection employees is also reflected in the ofce’s internal culture, resulting in recognition as a 2022 National Top Workplaces Culture Excellence awardee by Energage, a national research company that conducts workplace surveys.

visiting www.hillstax.org.