The winner of the 2023 Lt. Gen. Theodore G. Stroup Jr. Achievement Award is Cheyoung Ahn, a Junior ROTC student in Piti, Guam, the Association of the U.S. Army announced.

Named for Stroup, a former AUSA vice president of Education who is now an AUSA senior fellow, the program recognizes JROTC cadets for their achievements. The annual essay contest also aims to “engage the next generation of Soldiers and DoD stakeholders at a young age, to promote their growth into mature members of the defense community and to build an awareness of the Association of the U.S. Army,” according to the association.

Ahn won this year’s award with her essay analyzing a commentary published in ARMY magazine titled, “Put Down That Smartphone and Show Courage to Learn.”

The commentary, published in the January 2023 edition of AUSA’s flagship publication and available here, was written by Sgt. Maj. Robert Nelson and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Arnold. In the commentary, Nelson and Arnold write about how the rise in technology, including computers and smartphones, has changed the way humans interact and how soldiers operate.

They write: “Today, a novice learner has instantaneous access to unlimited amounts of master-level information through devices we all carry in our pockets. This begs the question: Is the sequential, established learning process we went through still useful? Should anyone go through a 20-year process to acquire information that an 18-year-old can Google in 10 seconds? We suggest that the answer to both questions is a resounding yes.”

All essay contest entries are judged by a committee of AUSA senior fellows. Winners receive AUSA membership and a cash prize to help with college tuition.

For her first-place essay, Ahn receives $2,500.

Jeremy Weber, of Sedalia, Missouri, came in second. He received $1,500.

In third place was Jonathan Essien of Villa Rica, Georgia. He received a cash prize of $1,000.

This is the fourth year AUSA has held the essay contest, and it is open to JROTC students who are juniors or seniors. Each essay is accompanied by a letter of recommendation and must be focused on a matter relevant to current defense issues or military history.

With the help of the Army Cadet Command, the contest is available to JROTC programs nationwide.