La Center High School senior Kristen Nye recently earned the equivalent of a $445,000 scholarship with her acceptance into the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA).
Cadet basic training begins June 26 at the USAFA, which is located in Colorado Springs, CO. Upon her completion of the six-week course, Nye will enter the four-year program, reserved for officer candidates for the United States Air Force. The USAFA was her top choice on a short list that also included the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Each year, the freshman class consists of approximately 1,200 cadets, not all of whom will graduate from the program. To say being accepted into the USAFA is an academic and career accomplishment would be downplaying it. The summer seminar alone, hosted by the Academy, has an 18 percent acceptance rate. This is an opportunity for interested candidates to live in the Academy dorms as freshmen and have an experience as close to the real deal as one can have without being a cadet.
“That experience made me really want to pursue my application all the way and give it my all because I just fell in love with the place,” Nye said.
Pursuing her application consisted of three letters of recommendation, three essays, three teacher-candidate reviews, a physical exam, a Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA), and application to three Congressional members for a required nomination. Washington Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler gave Nye her principal nomination. According to Nye, a principal nomination is reserved by the Congressional member for their top choice and the other nine nominations are considered secondary. While every nomination carries weight, primary is the edge each candidate is looking for.
On Nov. 1, 2013, Nye submitted her completed application packet and there was nothing more to be done. It became a waiting game to see if she would be one of the few accepted into the Academy. Every time she expressed her dismay, her mom would remind her “Why not you?’’
“I still can’t comprehend the fact that I got accepted to the Academy because there’s such a low acceptance rate and I’m in the top 12 percent. It’s a very humbling experience,” Nye said.
To be accepted into the Academy, a candidate must be outstanding in several areas. At La Center High School, Nye takes advanced placement government, calculus and English classes and is on the equestrian team. She joined the JROTC her junior year and advanced from an Airman Basic to a Cadet Captain.
Nye was the second-ever, first-year cadet to become a Flight Commander. She is currently Second in Command of the 120-member Brush Prairie High School Junior ROTC. Also a Color Guard Commander, Nye is looking forward to representing Prairie’s JROTC at Nationals this year.
Nye is the daughter of Don and Beth Nye and she has two older siblings. Her brother, Zach, graduated from the University of Portland with a major in mechanical engineering and now works for Habitat for Humanity. The middle child, Curtis, is an Airman First Class for the USAF, currently deployed in the Middle East.
Not surprisingly, Nye has a firm grasp of her goals and a plan in place to attain them. Her desire to be a pilot caused her to consider both civilian and military options. The Air Force seemed the most logical choice since flight is their specialty. Nye would like to fly cargo planes to gain the experience and knowledge necessary regardless of whether she becomes career Air Force or pursues a commercial pilot position in the future.
“I was thinking (of majoring in) Geospatial Science or Meteorology since it kind of relates to navigation,’’ Nye said. “If I’m going to go to school to be a pilot ... I want to do something that will benefit me in flight school and as a pilot. If I don’t end up having a pilot slot I can pursue other careers like navigation or weather tracker or even work with space operations and study different weather formations.”
On her mind since sophomore year, the USAFA was Nye’s first choice of 10 options after high school and, while the chances were slim, she held on to her mom’s encouraging words - “Why not you?’’
