A Wizard's Path: Isabella DeFrancesco

Washingtonville High School senior Isabella DeFrancesco has been steadily climbing the ranks of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Magic Battalion since her freshman year. Now serving as Battalion Commander and Lieutenant Colonel, Isabella is second in command of the entire program, working closely with community leaders and representing JROTC at a wide range of school events.

Isabella first joined JROTC because her brother was involved, but she quickly found her own passion within the program through the Drill Team. 

“I joined because my brother was in it, but I ended up really enjoying it,” she explained. “It helped me make a lot of friends, gave me something I was good at and became a big part of my life.”

Although she admits the early morning practices were an adjustment, Drill Team soon became her favorite part of the program.

“It's definitely a commitment,” she laughed. “But I love the team effort involved. You have to be synchronized with the same things at the same time in order to look uniform. If one person is off, everyone is off. So it definitely takes a lot of teamwork, but I love it.”

From the start, Isabella stood out as a leader. She commanded the drill squad as a freshman, then climbed her way up through a series of leadership positions. As a sophomore, she became Section 3 Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (S3 NCOIC), then advanced to Section 3 Operations Officer in Charge (S3 OIC) during her junior year. 

That same year, she helped lead Washingtonville’s Drill Team to its first-ever appearance at Drill Nationals in 30 years, a huge milestone that marked a turning point for the program. This year, the team hopes to make a return. 

Now, as Battalion Commander, Isabella oversees the program and coaches younger cadets, embracing a leadership style centered on trust, delegation and teamwork.

“It's definitely a big responsibility,” she explained. “It's taught me a different kind of leadership, which is delegating.”

After years of being hands-on with event planning and logistics, Isabella now finds herself in more of an oversight role. She decides what needs to get done, assigns responsibilities and ensures tasks are completed on time and to the standard.

“That can be hard sometimes because I can't force anybody to do anything,” she explained. “I usually have the mindset of, ‘If you don't do it yourself, it's not going to get done,’ so this has been a big learning experience for me.” 

JROTC has shaped Isabella’s understanding of what it means to lead, and more specifically, how leadership differs from authority. 

“It teaches you how to be a leader – a good leader – not just someone who yells and screams,” she said. “It teaches you how to be a better citizen by helping the community. And it helps with service hours and your resume, too.”

Beyond leadership lessons, JROTC has also given Isabella a close-knit community.

“Making friends can be hard, it’s awkward sometimes, especially nowadays with everyone on their phones and social media,”  she said. “JROTC makes it so much easier to meet people. My friends from JROTC are my best friends. I’ll probably be friends with them forever.”

Her experiences in the program also helped bring her closer to her calling in nursing. After she began volunteering with the local ambulance corps a few years ago, Isabella discovered a passion for helping others and has decided to pursue a career in psychiatric nursing within the military.

“My mom is a nurse and inspired me to become one, too, but volunteering gave me a glimpse into what it’s like and showed me it’s something I can handle,” she said. 

Through her volunteer work, Isabella often responded to psychiatric evaluation calls. Her empathy and patience during those moments helped clarify her future goals. 

“It bothers me when people say mean things about those patients,” she explained. “That’s why I want to specialize in psychiatric nursing because I know that in the military there are a lot of people who suffer from PTSD or unknown mental issues.”

This spring, Isabella plans to get her EMT certification as she applies to colleges to study nursing. She’s looking forward to her final Military Ball with her JROTC classmates and to the freedom and opportunities that await her in college.