Next year, Will Ide, ‘19, will be attending the United States Air Force Academy (This is a big deal). The Air Force Academy in Colorado Spring is one of the four US military academies. The Academy is meant to train the nation’s future military leaders. Upon graduation, cadets are commissioned into the Air Force as an officer and are sent off for further training.
The US Air Force academy is a very competitive institution to get into. Ide was one of the few people who were admitted to the Air Force academy. The
acceptance rate is only 12.3%. When asked about the admissions process he went through, Ide mentioned, “I had to apply early on in the year. It took about 7 months.” When asked about how his parents felt about his decision to apply, he said, “At first they didn’t want me to, but now they are cool with it.”
Ide received a scholarship fund for up to $400,000 on Scholarship Night from the US Air Force to help his family make the transition easier.
Ide says that after he graduates from the Academy, he wants to go on to fly fighter jets. He says that if he had a choice, he would want to fly F-15s but doesn’t know where he wants to be stationed. When asked how long he would want to stay in the service, Ide said that he would want to keep flying as long as the Air Force would let him.