Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Memorial High senior balances school, service and T-2-4

August 29, 2025 1:00 PM

When Memorial High School (MHS) senior Vilius Bagdzevicius stepped onto a bus for Fort Jackson, South Carolina, this summer, he wasn’t just beginning 10 weeks of U.S. Army Basic Combat Training. He was also carrying with him the values and support of the Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) community that helped prepare him for the challenge.

For Bagdzevicius, enlisting in the Texas Army National Guard while still in high school was about more than adventure. It was about service, leadership and opportunity — and he says the encouragement of his teachers and mentors made the decision possible.

“I wanted to give back to my community and state while I was still in high school,” he said. “The training made me stronger, taught me discipline and gave me skills I can carry into my future career.”

Back home, his parents see a young man transformed.

“He went from a boy to a man,” his mother said. “He’s disciplined, stronger and more confident. Everything he has achieved, he’s earned on his own — but it has also taken the encouragement of teachers, leaders and mentors who believed in him and supported his big goals.”

Bagdzevicius serves as executive officer of the NJROTC unit, located in The Guthrie Center. He also captains the school’s national champion drone team and founded the Aviators Club to share his passion for aviation. He is currently working with a friend to create the Military Sciences Club to help prepare MHS students who have a desire to join or are in the process of joining the military. He is now applying for the Army ROTC scholarship, NROTC Scholarship and the U.S. Naval Academy, with the goal of becoming a pilot.

His journey is one of many in SBISD that highlight the district’s commitment to preparing students for life after graduation.

“Military service is one T-2-4 pathway, and Vilius embodies what it means to be T-2-4 Ready, Every Child,” Memorial Principal Lisa Weir said. “Through his service, academics and leadership, he has shown how our students can graduate prepared for whatever path they choose.”

Bagdzevicius’s story shows what makes SBISD special — a community where teachers, leaders and families support students while opening doors to new opportunities and future careers.