Five Lincoln-Way Students Receive Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy Scholarships

Lincoln-Way High School District 210 has announced that Amanda Lask, a senior at Lincoln-Way Central, David J. Nelson and Connor Lindaur, a senior and junior at Lincoln-Way East, and Logan Clarida and Adam Pearse, juniors at Lincoln-Way West, have received a scholarship to attend an accredited aviation university participating in a private pilot license training program in the summer of 2021.

These cadets are five of 230 Air Force Junior ROTC cadets around the world to receive the scholarship from Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL. More than 1,340 cadets applied for one of the 230 scholarships. There are more than 120,000 high school students enrolled in Air Force Junior ROTC at almost 875 high schools in the U.S and overseas. The scholarship covers transportation, room and board, academics, and flight hours required to potentially earn a private pilot license. The scholarship is valued at approximately $22,500.

The Flight Academy Scholarship Program is an Air Force-level initiative in collaboration with the commercial aviation industry to address the national civilian and military pilot shortage. The Flight Academy allows aspiring young aviators to get their Private Pilot’s Certification, at no cost, during an eight-week summer course at partner universities.

This incurs no military commitment while providing a college transcript. Those who participate in the program do not incur a military commitment to the Air Force or other branch of service, nor does completing the program guarantee acceptance into one of the military’s commissioning programs.

The mission of Air Force Junior ROTC is to develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community, while instilling values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and sense of accomplishment.