VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. –
The Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy graduated 40 cadets during a ceremony for Class 63 Dec. 18, 2025, at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Col. Jeff Wagstaff, Senior Army Advisor to the Virginia Army National Guard, Jen Lanz, director of Commonwealth ChalleNGe, Jerome Ferrette, the Commonwealth ChalleNGe deputy director, and Juan Guisti, an alumnus of CCYA Class 8 and the guest speaker for the ceremony, congratulated each of the graduates on completing the five-and-a-half month-long residential portion of the program.
“Coming across this stage today is not the final test,” Guisti told the cadets. “The final test is tomorrow. Tomorrow you’re going to wake up and there won’t be anyone there to watch over you and make sure you’re going to make your bed. That is the time you have to hold yourself accountable.
“You just went through something other high school students don’t go through- a rigorous program that teaches you how to be disciplined,” Guisti said. “Don’t let that slip away. You have to hold yourself accountable.”
“When the cadets arrived at Commonwealth ChalleNGe, many carried uncertainty about school, their direction and sometimes even about themselves,” Lanz said. “What they stepped into was not an easy program. It was intentionally challenging, structured, demanding and purposeful.
“The ChalleNGe quasi-military model is not just about uniforms, formations and commands alone,” she explained. “It’s about accountability, consistency, teamwork and personal responsibility.”
The Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided the music for the ceremony.
Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy is the Virginia component of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program and is based at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach. ChalleNGe is a 17-and-a-half-month program that is structured in a military-style environment designed to promote academics, attention to detail, time management, and leadership, while promoting self-esteem, confidence and pride.
“The ChalleNGe program works because the expectations are firm and the environment is safe,” Lanz said. “Cadets are allowed to fail. They’re allowed to learn. They’re allowed to struggle without being discarded. They’re held accountable without being written off. And most importantly they’re surrounded by caring adults.”
During the ceremony ChalleNGe also acknowledged the community organizations and stakeholder who offered cadets the opportunity to earn community service hours. These included American Legion Post 81, the Basilica of St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Catholica Church, Southeastern Virginia Food Pantry, Virginia Beach Voter Registrar’s Office, Grace Revival Church, First Tee Special Olympics, Virginia Beach Veterans Day and Christmas parades, Virginia Beach Special Events, J&A Racing, State Military Reservation and the Norfolk NAACP.
Lanz thanked her staff for their hard work and education as well as the families for entrusting their children to the ChalleNGe program.
“To my staff, thank you for showing up every day, believing in the cadets, believing in each other and the program, even when it’s hard,” she said. “And seeing the potential even when the cadets didn’t see it in themselves.
“To the families and supporters, thank you for trusting us with your children,” she added. “That is the most powerful compliment we can have. Thank you for standing beside them through moments of doubt and moments of pride.”
Class 64 will begin in January 2026.
ChalleNGe is divided into three phases. The first phase is the Acclimation Period. This period is the first two weeks of the residential phase and consists of physical, leadership and mental challenges designed to test the candidates’ potential for success in the second phase of the program.
The second phase is a 20-week residential period that consists of academics, either high school credit recovery or GED test preparation, post-residential goal development, physical fitness, both individual and group counseling, life skills and team building.
The residential phase consists of academics and structured training that includes daily rigorous physical fitness exercises. A variety of extra-curricular clubs and sports are available.
Teach Advise Counsel officers, also known as Cadre, are responsible for the cadets’ execution of the daily routine, physical fitness, personal hygiene, health and welfare, teaching ethical behavior and military science, and working together as a team. Physical training, drill and ceremonies, and barracks inspections are also integral parts of this training in teaching cooperation, tolerance of others, and teamwork.
Faculty members are responsible for academic training and instruction, which is supplemented by various off site field trips. Past field trips have included museums, the Virginia Aquarium, the state capitol, Washington D.C., and live theater performances.
The third phase of ChalleNGe is a two-year post-residential phase. This two-year advisory period is completed when the cadet returns home and has access to the guidance and assistance Challenge Career Advisors.
For more information about the Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy call (757) 491-5932 or visit
vachallenge.org.