Sophia Pinero, 17, a junior at Ramstein High School in Germany, was named Operation Homefront’s Air Force military child of the year for 2025. The award recognizes those who demonstrate exceptional leadership, academic achievement, volunteerism and resilience. (Pinero family)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Sophia Pinero doesn’t seek the spotlight, but those who know the junior at Ramstein High School say her drive, humility and strength make her hard to miss.
And now she’s even more of a standout, after her recent selection as the 2025 Air Force military child of the year by Operation Homefront.
As part of the award, Pinero will receive a $10,000 scholarship, a laptop computer and other gifts from Operation Homefront sponsors.
“This young lady has no ceiling,” said Matt Atkinson, Air Force Junior ROTC instructor at the school. “She’s going places.”
Atkinson called the 17-year-old Pinero one of the most upbeat students he’s ever had, saying she arrives early for drill or marksmanship practice and excels at both activities.
“She even studied for an Advanced Placement U.S. history quiz on the flight home from a drill team trip,” he said. “She’s a model student for sure.”
The award she earned recognizes military children who demonstrate exceptional leadership, academic achievement, volunteerism and resilience. It’s given annually to seven students nationwide, with one honoree representing each service and the National Guard.
She’ll be recognized this month at a formal gala in Washington, D.C., where she’ll be joined by her younger sister and her mother, Sheena Pinero, an executive services specialist for the 86th Airlift Wing.
Operation Homefront is a nonprofit organization that supports military families and veterans through programs offering financial assistance, scholarships and other services.
The gala celebrates the resilience and accomplishments of children facing the challenges of military life. For Pinero and her family, those hurdles became deeply personal in the wake of her father’s death in December 2023.
“After we laid him to rest in Georgia, I made the decision for our family to come back because I knew my children had a support system here,” Sheena Pinero said.
What followed was a period of grief, uncertainty and resilience.
“Despite the pain and the challenges we’ve gone through this past year, she continues to have that smile on her face and she continues to be there for others,” her mother said.
In addition to her stellar academic performance, Pinero logged more than 160 hours of community service and led her school’s junior varsity color guard team to a first-place finish at a Europe-wide drill team competition.
She hopes to attend the Air Force Academy or join the ROTC program at Florida State University and is already thinking ahead, as shown by her plans to put the $10,000 award toward a college savings fund.
“My parents always taught me to be smart with money,” she said. “If ROTC pays for college, I want to use the money to build some savings and passive income while I’m there.”
When asked what advice she would give to her counterparts in the military child ranks, Pinero had a ready answer.
“Everything that comes your way is an opportunity,” she said. “Even difficult life changes can be a chance to grow if you choose to. That’s what it means to be a military child: being flexible, being resilient and keeping your head up.”
