91 CAP Academic, Flight Scholarships Worth Total of $154,570 Awarded

Civil Air Patrol’s 2019 scholarship finalists have been notified that they’ve been chosen to receive 91 awards collectively worth $154,570.

Each year, CAP provides financial assistance to select, deserving cadets through academic and flight scholarships based on merit or needs-based awards. The scholarship portfolio is announced each fall, and finalists are named the following spring and summer.

The most recent recipients are from 28 states as well as one assigned to the North Central Region. All eight CAP regions are represented, led by the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions, both with 18.

“For the first time, we are able to offer academic scholarships equal to the amount of our highly recommended applicants,” said Wendy Hamilton of CAP’s cadet program, who said 62 academic scholarships were awarded — all to applicants with a 3.80 or higher grade-point average and an SAT score of 1311 and/or an ACT score of 28 or above.

“This puts our scholarship applicants on academic par with the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2022,” she said.

Cadet Cols. Ryan Hebert of the Kentucky Wing’s Stewart Powell Cadet Squadron and Melissa Mallinak of the Georgia Wing’s Ellijay Composite Squadron are receiving the Board of Governors’ two academic scholarships, each worth $2,500.

Other academic recipients will receive scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,000. Fifty-five are receiving $2,000 CAP Academic Scholarships from CAP’s National Staff Initiative and End-of-the-Year Campaign funds. The Dr. Ron Hanson Academic Scholarship also provides a pair of $2,000 scholarships. Three other $1,000 USAA Academic Scholarships are also offered.

This year’s 29 flight scholarships, meanwhile, include four new $800 scholarships to attend glider academies, compliments of the National Soaring Museum.

“The sport of soaring has benefited greatly from a long association with Civil Air Patrol,” said Traff Doherty, museum director. “It is a direct result of our great appreciation for their efforts that the National Soaring Museum will award these scholarships to CAP cadets in their pursuit of aviation.”

The four recipients of the museum’s first CAP scholarships are:

• Cadet Capt. Nathan Burk of the Illinois Wing’s McLean County Composite Squadron,
   
• Cadet 1st Lt. Autumn Rhodes of the Florida Wing’s Charlotte County Composite Squadron,
   
• Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Sarah Janicki of the Texas Wing’s David Lee “Tex” Hill Composite Squadron and
   
• Chief Senior Master Sgt. Dillon Suankeaw of the Texas Wing’s Plano Mustangs Composite Squadron.

The National Soaring Museum scholarships will be combined with other established scholarships — the Lt. Col. William Hanna Jr. Memorial Flight Scholarship ($5,000) and two Col. Mary Feik Cadet Flight Scholarships ($1,185 to both), as well as 22 CAP Flight Scholarships ($1,000 apiece) from Penn Foundation funds.

Hamilton was also impressed at the quality of the flight scholarship recipients, especially considering they don’t include the needs-based elements of the Youth Aviation Initiative, Cadet Lift or Take-off programs cadets.

Those recipients will be announced later this summer.

In all, 145 of the 202 flight scholarship applicants this year have piloting experience equivalent to the CAP pre-solo badge or more, Hamilton said. “That’s 4 percent more than in fiscal year ’18,” she said. "That may seem like a small increase, but it indicates that more cadets are beginning to take advantage of flying opportunities within CAP, which is a program goal for this year."

The CAP scholarship program is partially funded by member support. Individuals who would like to make a donation to the scholarship program may do so online. Those wishing to create an honorary or memorial scholarship should contact CAP Development.