In less than one month, junior Sawyer Star will be packing his bags and heading to flight school. 

Star earned a scholarship through the Department of the Air Force Air University and will attend flight school in Estherville, Iowa, from May 30 to July 24. Star plans to get his private pilot licenses through this program. 

“This scholarship is definitely going to open up a lot of opportunities for me,” Star said. “Flight is now a thing I can look into, and I can get a taste of what college is like.”

Star was one of 230 students among the 1,340 applicants selected to participate in the program. The scholarship covers all academics, flight instruction, transportation, room and board and is valued near $22,500

The application process required students to be in a JROTC course, have a GPA of 3.0 or above and take a test given by the Air Force. 

“I mainly went through the application process, so I could see how hard the test was,” Star said. “I wasn’t actually expecting to get the scholarship.”

When Star told his parents they were ecstatic. Star also informed the JROTC advisors and they congratulated him on the opportunity. The purpose of the Flight Academy Scholarship Program is to address the national civilian and military pilot shortage. The Air Force and commercial aviation industry have collaborated on the program.

“You just have to work towards your goals,” said Star. “As long as you have the right mindset then your goals are totally achievable.”