The numbers are in, and they’re impressive: 88 scholarships worth more than $139,000 have been awarded this year to cadets in 75 squadrons in 31 wings in all eight Civil Air Patrol regions, along with two cadets in overseas squadrons in Germany.
In all, 85 cadets received scholarships for academic purposes, flight training, leadership, and National Cadet Special Activities, with a pair from the Mid-Atlantic Region receiving two each. One squadron, the Florida Wing’s Homestead Air Reserve Base Composite Squadron, received a $1,000 CAP Foundation leadership scholarship.
The overall totals included:
44 academic scholarships — half of the 88 awarded and adding up to $87,44, nearly 63% of the overall monetary value.
31 flight scholarships valued at a combined $39,956.
Seven scholarships totaling $5,800 earmarked for National Cadet Special Activities participation.
Five scholarships focusing on leadership, each valued at $1,000.
One $1,000 scholarship to be used for either flying or academic purposes at the recipient’s discretion.
The Southeast Region led the field with 18 scholarships, with the Pacific Region totaling 17 and the Mid-Atlantic Region 15.
Among wings, the Florida and New Jersey wings each accounted for seven scholarships, one more than the Alaska and California wings.
The two-scholarship recipients are Cadet Cols.:
Timothy Gann of the Maryland Wing’s Bethesda-Chevy Chase Composite Squadron — a $2,550 CAP Academic Scholarship and a $1,000 Maryland Wing Academic Scholarship.
Rachel Sherrod of the Virginia Wing’s Newport-News Composite Squadron — a $2,000 CAP Academic Scholarship and an $800 Cadet Officer School Scholarship
Gann said his scholarships will help him achieve a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity from Liberty University.
“This will enable me to focus more on academics and leadership development,” he said.
“I plan to use the scholarships to cover tuition, educational materials, and opportunities that align with my long-term goal of becoming a cyber intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force,” said Gann, who joined CAP in September 2018.
Sherrod, who serves as vice chair of the National Cadet Advisory Council, is a senior attending NorthGreenville University online and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business and leadership in December. After that, she plans on beginning her master’s in business administration from Radford University online in January 2027.
“I plan on using the academic scholarship to assist in the funding of both of these degrees,” said Sherrod, a CAP member since August 2018.
Her Cadet Officer School scholarship will allow her to hone her leadership skills at a weeklong course this summer at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, home to Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters.
“Having always been invested in CAP for the lessons and leadership opportunities, the COS scholarship in particular will allow me to enhance these skills at what I’ve heard is the best leadership-related National Cadet Special Activity offered,” she said. “However, the lofty price was not something I could personally afford, and this scholarship allows me to attend the activity.”
Gann and Sherrod both achieved CAP’s top cadet honor, the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, in February 2024. Less than one-half of 1% of all cadets earn the award.
