2018 Liberty Gala Distinguished Service Medal: Jocyln Olea 

Jocyln Olea is currently serving as the Commander for the Wells Community Academy High School Battalion.

Cadet Jocyln Olea was born in 2001 in St. Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago. She grew up in the Little Village and Licoln Park neighborhoods where she attended Kanoon Elementary School through 2nd grade and Oscar Mayer Elementary School through 8th grade. Accepted into the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Honor Pre-Law Academy, she has attended Wells Community Academy High School in the West Town neighborhood since 9th grade. 

She is currently a junior (11th grader) with a 3.3 unweighted grade point average (GPA) and a 4.0 weighted GPA - her classes being mainly honors and Advanced Placement (AP). Cadet Olea is a school "Natural Leader" - a prorgam where students serve the school and lead peers by example.

She has been a member of Track & Field and both Girls and Co-ed Softball teams, as well as a summer Youth Counselor for the local Boy's and Girl's Club. She has been very active in the City's Army Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC) Service Leadership Program at her school - serving there as S1 and S4 staff officers, and currently as Commander.

Olea has competed as a member on the Junior Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB, Color Gaurd, Sports Challenge and Orienting Teams. She has also attended the Junior Cadet Leadership Camp (JCLC) in Wisconsin and has done much for her school and community in various service learning activities totaling nearly 100 hours.

Outside of school, Cadet Olea enjoys filling her free time by watching movies, reading books, and spending quality time with her mother, father and two younger sisters - currently living in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago.