<p>I had been interested in aviation since a very early age. The military appealed to me, but I never gave it much consideration. My grandparents on my mother’s side and a close family friend had been in the AF. Military service was the thought floating somewhere just out of consciousness for a while, I guess.</p>
<p>I can’t say exactly how much impact it had, but 9/11 surely had an influence in my decision. The thought of foreign organizations attacking my country angered me to no end. I still get rather angry thinking about that day and the lives lost. When violence is inflicted upon my family, friends, or countrymen, it moves me. I find myself thinking “I wish I could have been there to stop that” after a number of these events. Perhaps I fall into heroic fantasies occasionally, but the ideal remains important to me. I want to help and protect people from evil.</p>
<p>My plan was to go to UIUC and study engineering (electrical was my 1st choice). During my sophomore year of high school, one of my friends started talking about applying to USAFA. The more he talked about USAFA, the better it sounded. I went to a college fair a few weeks later. Of course, I went to the UIUC presentation and the booths of a few other state schools. I noticed “US Air Force Academy” on the list of colleges, and hiked my way to the booth at the far end of the building. I took a card for the pre-candidate questionaire and left after talking to some Major. My guidance couselor told me how to contact the local ALO, and I eventually applied for Summer Seminar. Summer seminar sealed the deal, in my mind.</p>