Nicole Rosario-Flores, a JROTC Cadet at T.C. Williams High School, was the guest of Sen. Tim Kaine at the Feb. 4 Presidential State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C.

Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kaine met with Rosario-Flores and other JROTC cadets at T.C. Williams on Jan. 10, when he announced his invitation. Kaine talked to the students about his years-long efforts to reclaim Congress’s constitutional duty to weigh in on whether the nation goes to war, including his bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran.

"I am thrilled and honored to be Senator Tim Kaine's guest at the State of the Union Address,” said Cadet Nicole Rosario-Flores upon learning of Kaine’s invitation. “I am equally grateful for the JROTC program at T.C. Williams High School that is truly one of a kind, has opened doors for me and given me the opportunity to attend such an important event as this one.”

Rosario-Flores and the T.C. Williams JROTC Cadets left an impression on Kaine during his visit to the school.

“I was so impressed with [Rosario-Flores] and all the T.C. Williams High School JROTC cadets I recently met with to discuss my bipartisan war powers resolution,” Kaine said. “The legislation is about ensuring we don’t send our troops into harm’s way unless there’s a carefully reached consensus in Congress that war is in the national interest. Any time we’re in the middle of a discussion about matters of war and peace in Congress, it’s important to hear from young people who have a large stake in this debate.”

For Rosario-Flores, it is the opportunity of a lifetime: “Having the opportunity to witness the way our government functions first-hand will definitely be something that I will always remember.”