The Young Marines announced Joseph Gallant from the Ridgefield Lewis and Clark Young Marines is among the top 10 Advanced Leadership School (ALS) graduates for 2024.
Gallant, 15, is a rising sophomore at Ridgefield High School and Lewis and Clark Young Marines master sergeant. Gallant demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities, which earned him the award, a press release by the Young Marines stated.
“ALS has provided me with a different mindset and perspective of how to lead and mentor others,” Gallant said in the press release. “These skills will help me in the Young Marines program and in the U.S. Marine Corps. What I learned has given me tools and new skills to be more effective while I guide, inspire and mentor others.”
After high school graduation, Gallant plans to join the U.S. Marine Corps in the field of infantry or aviation, the release stated.
The Young Marines began in 1959 and has grown to over 200 units with 5,000 youth in the program. The program emphasizes the core values of teamwork, leadership and self-discipline, according to the press release. The program encourages teenagers to focus on physical fitness, citizenship through community service and a healthy lifestyle, the release stated.
For more information about the Young Marines, visit Young Marines.org.
