ABILENE — Peter Nguyen, a junior Air Force Junior ROTC cadet at Abilene High School, has received a scholarship to attend an accredited aviation university participating in a private pilot license training program in the summer of 2021.
Cadet Nguyen is one of only 230 Air Force Junior ROTC cadets around the world to receive the scholarship from Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. More than 1,340 cadets applied for one of the 230 scholarships. There are more than 120,000 high school students enrolled in Air Force Junior ROTC at almost 875 high schools in the United States and overseas. The scholarship covers transportation, room and board, academics and flight hours required to potentially earn a private pilot license. The scholarship is valued at approximately $22,500.
“Peter is a great student who is able to teach other cadets the many facets of JROTC and academics with ease,” Abilene High JROTC instructor Lt. Col. (ret.) Robert Davidson II said. “He is the type of cadet we can always count on to get things done.”
The Flight Academy Scholarship Program is an Air Force-level initiative in collaboration with the commercial aviation industry to address the national civilian and military pilot shortage. The Flight Academy allows aspiring young aviators to get their Private Pilot’s Certification (at no cost) during an eight-week summer course at partner universities. This incurs no military commitment while providing a college transcript. Those who participate in the program do not incur a military commitment to the Air Force or other branch of service, nor does completing the program guarantee acceptance into one of the military’s commissioning programs.
The mission of Air Force Junior ROTC is to develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community, while instilling values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and sense of accomplishment.
