Chicago's top cadet: Don't waste a minute

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Gregory Holmes is Chicago's top military cadet in 2015. In ABC7 Salutes, he spoke about his plans for the future and what he believes other young African-American teens must do.

Holmes was honored over the weekend by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Despite the accolades, it wasn't always an easy path for the 18-year-old cadet.

"He wanted to leave the school because he thought the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. So we sat down with him and said Greg, what do you really want? This is the place to accomplish it because we can get you there. He stayed and he's been outstanding ever since," Commandant David Schoenfeld, Chicago Military Academy, said.

Holmes now has a message for fellow teens: Don't waste a minute going the wrong direction.

"Do what I have to do now in order to do what I want to do then. That's what I would tell anyone around my age or any African-American teen in Chicago - do what you have to do now in order to succeed to be what you want to be in the future," Cadet LTCOL Holmes said.

After all, the young man has goals. Big ones.

"To either be the first 4-star African American general of the Marine Corp, to be the director of CIA or FBI, or to become president of the United States," he said.

While his parents support him, Holmes says there wasn't much hand-holding. They wanted him to take responsibility.

"That showed me I gotta grow up as an individual as a person and take the initiative myself but they really supported me through every single thing I did in life and I'm trying my best to make them proud," Holmes said.

Holmes is headed to the U.S. Naval Academy, but he doesn't plan to be a sailor. He wants to be a Marine and either work in aviation or infantry while serving time in the military.