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North Carolina Cadet Nets 3 Service Academy Appointments
A cadet flight commander for the North Carolina Wing’s Hickory Composite has received not one, not two, but three service academy appointments, ultimately choosing the U.S. Coast Guard Academy as her next destination.
Cadet 2nd Lt. Shaley Dunn also received appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, along with an alternate appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy for good measure.
She’ll begin studies this summer at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, majoring in operations research and data analytics. After graduation she’ll serve as a Coast Guard ensign.
Dunn joined Civil Air Patrol in February 2021. She serves as Zulu Flight commander for the Hickory squadron and is a recipient of the Air Force Sergeants Association’s Outstanding Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Award.
“Cadet 2nd Lt. Dunn has worked hard to develop herself as a cadet and leader within the CAP program, yet she has never lost sight of what is truly important: kindness, compassion, and looking out for her fellow cadets,” said Capt. Cindy Randolph, the Hickory squadron’s deputy commander for cadets.
“She leads not just in skill but in heart. She is a tremendous example of the kind of cadet our future as a 
nation will be all the better for as she continues to serve on the U.S. Coast Guard."
The home-schooled senior graduates from high school this month with a 4.0 grade point average. Dunn was named a National Merit Scholar in March – an honor earned by only 7,500 high school seniors in the U.S. A 2½-year employee of Chick-fil-A, she recently was awarded a Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship.
Last summer she earned her solo wings and participated
in CAP’s Space Operations Academy.
She was also accepted into the three 2022 summer leadership programs at the Air Force, Military, and Naval academies. She was recognized with the Excellence Award for her Military Academy platoon.
Dunn is active in sports and in her community. She has run cross country and track for Maiden High School, participated on the Lincoln County YMCA swim team, and earned her first-degree black belt in taekwondo. For the past 2½ years, she served on the Teen Court of Lincoln County and delivered meals to homebound people on two established routes for the Christian Ministry of Lincoln County.
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Capt. Bruce Hudson
Assistant Public Affairs Officer
North Carolina Wing