Brigade Commander

ABOUT THE COMMANDER

As the Brigade Commander, c/Col Manikandan, Rithvik spearheads the Brigade Staff of 10 in all operations and event planning. He is the primary leader responsible for successfully administering & overseeing brigade-wide drill & academic competitions, formal ceremonies, cadet recreational activities, and various volunteer events. Manikandan previously served as the Echo Flight Commander in his unit and will also be dually serving as the Group First Sergeant for the 24-25 Academic Year. In JROTC, he has dedicated himself to Saber Fancy Drill Team, CyberPatriot, Awareness Presentation Team, and Flag Detail Fancy Drill Team. He is also a part of Kitty Hawk Tutoring, helping other students in their AP subjects and SAT preparation, and a Public Affairs representative, working in. Recently, Manikandan competed at the CyberPatriot XVI Nationals, winning 2nd place in the Cisco Category and overall All-Service Division. He also competed and placed 1st in the Saber Regulation, Saber Exhibition, and Saber Sweepstakes Category at Golden Bear Drill Nationals 2024.

As he goes into the next year, Manikandan hopes to introduce novel & creative ideas to brigade events and foster camaraderie and excitement that draws in cadets. His biggest aim is to expose incoming First-Year Cadets to the different opportunities in RO and instill in them the same values he holds dear: resilience and compassion. Apart from JROTC, Manikandan is a tentative National Merit Scholar and an SAT Tutor for Schoolhouse.world, where he teaches various SAT Math topics to students all over the country. He is also passionate about Computer Science and Cybersecurity, and is a Cisco Coach for Marshall Middle School’s CyberPatriot Team. In his free time, Manikandan likes watching movies & k-dramas, or going out with friends. After high school, he hopes to double major in Business and Computer Science and hopefully work on his own startup through college.