Athletics
Teams & Schedules
Cadet of the Month: SSG Mbanza
Woodstock, VA (Massanutten Military Academy) – SSG Mbanza’s journey began nearly 7,000 miles away from Massanutten Military Academy. He first discovered a love for computers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which he calls home.
“One day my cousin came to our house and was working in Photoshop,” he said. “I asked him how I could learn it too. He told me to start learning online but offered to teach me too. When I saw the code for the first time, it activated something in mind. I find it beautiful.”
That spark brought him across the ocean, arriving at our military boarding school in August 2024.
“Massanutten gave me a chance with my English to come here,” he said. “It’s important to know English so you can program.”
Despite speaking French as his first language, Cadet Mbanza found common ground in coding and math. He’s taking Computer Science with Dr. Spurgin, Cyber Security with MAJ Moore and Algebra II with Mr. Humphrey.
“My Algebra class is the class where I can most be myself,” he said. “I found that it helped me to wake up my mind. I’m also learning HTML to continue with programming.”
Massanutten’s structure and JROTC programs have also been key to helping him reach his goals.
“I want to go into the military, into the Air Force or Navy to study computer science," Cadet Mbanza said. “I just want to keep learning.”
That passion is part of what earned him Cadet of the Month for March.
“No matter what challenge has come his way, he jumps in and does what he has to do,” Head of School Kimberly Elshafie-Layman said. “He is a natural leader and all-around great cadet.”
Those leadership skills have also served him well as we head into a new sports season.
“I joined Raiders,” Cadet Mbanza said. “That teaches us how to work like a team. I’ve also set my own personal objectives for working out, so it motivates me to keep going. Right now, I can do about 150 push-ups per day, but I want to do more.”
He’s also keeping his home in his heart.
“There is the war in the east part of my country, and so many people are living difficult lives because of it,” Cadet Mbanza said. “I do miss the feeling and the music and the interaction. In my country, I’ll be in my home and I’ll go outside and my friend is over there. We talk and we play soccer.”
Roanoke, VA, families seeking a military boarding school that makes their student stand out can look to Massanutten Military Academy. By nurturing male and female leadership, we equip our cadets with the tools they need to thrive in college, the workplace, and beyond. To learn more about our admissions process, call (540) 459-2167 today!
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Massanutten Military Academy is a co-educational, non-profit military boarding and day school in Virginia for students in 8th-12th grades with postgraduate studies. We welcome all faiths and live by our motto: Non Nobis Solum (Not For Ourselves Alone).
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