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92 Cadets Awarded $155K+ in Scholarships; 2023 Recipients Discuss Impact
Ninety-two cadets from 38 wings in all eight Civil Air Patrol regions have been awarded academic, flight, and activity scholarships collectively worth a record $155,585. The total includes:
- 61 academic scholarships with a total value of $123,500,
- 20 flight scholarships with a total value of $24,000, and
- 11 scholarships with a total value of $8,085 for National Cadet Special Activity and other activity fees.
Cadets in the Northeast Region accounted for the highest numbers of scholarships — 21, of which 17 are academic and four are flight.
The New Jersey Wing led wings with 12 scholarships, including nine academic and three flight.
Eligible cadets can use the funds to pay for flying hours and participate in encampments and special activities – all of which can prove expensive for young members and their families, especially if multiple siblings are involved.
Three of last year’s recipients spoke recently about how their scholarships helped them obtain pilot private certificates, additional flight training, educational opportunities, and leadership lessons.
The Dewey family has four cadets involved in the Florida Wing’s Hernando County Composite Squadron 301. James, the eldest, received the 2023 Lt. Col. Richard Brinkman Jr. Florida Wing Cadet Flight Scholarship, worth $1,000.
“If it wasn’t for the scholarships and financial aid available to us through CAP,” said his mother, Chris, “my kids wouldn’t be able to participate at the level they do.”
A freshman at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach campus as well as a CAP cadet colonel, James said he has always dreamed of being an astronaut or pilot.
“Receiving that scholarship was really amazing,” he said. “I’m using it to further my training and continue sharpening my piloting skills so that I can go to the U.S. Air Force Academy.” He’s waiting on academy Class of 2028 appointment notification.
Molly Towles, whose daughter, Annabelle, received the 2023 Board of Governors Academic Scholarship for $2,500 and also completed CAP's Cadet Wings program in June, was a cadet herself in the Indiana Wing’s Wier Cook Cadet Squadron.
“My daughter is a second-generation cadet, and we are so grateful for how the program has changed our lives through amazing opportunities and wonderful mentorship,” Towles said.
“We are especially thankful for the two scholarships she received, which enabled Annabelle to fulfill her lifelong dream.”
Her daughter, a CAP cadet colonel, is a member of the Air Force Academy’s Class of 2027, studying aeronautical engineering and military and strategic studies.
She began her Civil Air Patrol journey in the Virginia Wing’s Langley Composite Squadron, but because of her family’s military moves also belonged to the Fredericksburg Composite squadron before returning to Langley.
“I can’t remember when I didn’t want to fly,” Annabelle said.
Lessons she learned in CAP have enabled her to excel in her academy aviation classes.
And because she has her private pilot certificate, earned through Cadet Wings , she’s in the final interview round for competitive flying team.
“Being a CAP cadet gave me a perspective on military life most don’t have,” Annabelle said. “People aren’t always aware of CAP. You can go a long way if you stay in it.”
Cadet Capt. Maxyn Hallare, who will join the academy’s Class of 2028 this summer, joined the Virginia Wing's Newport News Composite Squadron in 2019 at age 12. The recipient of a 2023 Flight Scholarship worth$1,000, she also received financial aid to attend the national Robert Ayres Solo and Ground Academy in Hagerstown, Maryland.
“The scholarship allowed me to begin flying with a powered flight instructor at (Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport) — where my first (CAP cadet orientation flight) was and where my entire flight journey
began,” Hallare said.
She obtained her glider pilot license and completed her solo powered aircraft flight last summer, with the scholarship she received covering her remaining powered flight hours.
“I can hopefully earn a fighter pilot slot” in the U.S. Air Force, Hallare said.
The CAP scholarship program is partially funded by member support. Individuals who would like to make a donation may do so online. Those wishing to create an honorary or memorial scholarship should contact CAP Development. Cadet application packets deadlines are each fall, with finalists named the following spring and summer.
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Julia Martin
Contributing Writer