Boasting musical talent and military achievement, junior Cyrus Froozan has a uniquely impressive resume. Not many high school students have the courage to play music in front of an audience of hundreds and even fewer take up positions of military leadership. Froozan is the exception.

Drawn to the camaraderie of the U.S military, Froozan heads a branch of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Program, the U.S. Navy’s youth development camp that prepares high school students to become future Navy SEALs. Froozan is a Leading Petty Officer (LPO) and leads a group of roughly 60 boys and girls, ages 10 to 18, assisted by his own cabinet of other high school students.

For the role of Assistant to the LPO, Froozan selected junior Oliver Farrell, a close friend since eighth grade who also comes from a family deeply rooted in military tradition.

“Me and him do a lot of oversight for the officers and pass on what they want done for the junior cadets in the program,” Farrell said.

Although the focus of the Sea Cadets is primarily military training, their mission statement states that the program aims to build character in the youth and teach them morality and honor. Froozan and his cabinet are committed to the program’s goal, and their monthly meetings have the goal of building a sense of camaraderie and respect. Froozan points to his own life when talking about the ways the program has helped him.

“As you develop, you go from someone who’s more insecure about what they do to a fully confident, fully developed human being,” Froozan said.

The confidence Froozan gained from being part of the Cadets isn’t only reflected in his military life, but is also apparent in his hobbies and interests. Froozan asserts that what he’s learned from being an LPO has not only helped him in his promising future military career but also in his other interests, including guitar.

“Leading a group gives you confidence to perform in life in a [certain] way,” Froozan said. “Now I walk on stage and present in front of 40-60 people and it’s fine.”

Froozan first got the gig to play for Bethesda’s Fourth Presbyterian Church at the beginning of February while playing a Zack Bryan song on the guitar during a church retreat. After finishing the song, one of the church band members approached Froozan and invited him to practice with the group. Cyrus has been playing at the church ever since.

The church isn’t the only place Froozan displays his musical talent. Froozan and other fellow juniors have expressed interest in forming a band, and junior guitarist Henry Goodstein said he was excited for the opportunity.

“The idea was first proposed by one of the guys who just got a new bass guitar,” Goodstein said. “We all thought it would be a good idea to come together and play, and we are going to do that in the future.”

Froozan maintains that music has never come easy to him, and that success in music, like all things, was obtained through hard work and dedication.

“Anybody can have all the talent in the world, but what’s the point if you don’t have the mental integrity to shape it?” Froozan said. “I wasn’t born good at guitar. It took a lot of practice and a lot of failures, but the more I failed and as much as it sucked, it always got me back up on my feet.”

The Cadets have taught him respect and honor and the church has shown him community and faith. It is Froozan’s combination of intense dedication to military service paired with his love for musical performance that make him truly unique.