By Celine Hoang, Editor-in-Chief and Theo Vuong, Staff Writer
On a late February night, senior Evan Mak sits at his desk, staring at his U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) portal. He refreshes the page. Nothing. He decides to contact his guidance counselor at the USAFA via email. Before beginning to write his draft, however, he decides to refresh the portal once more.
Much to his surprise, the screen now read, “You’ve received an appointment.” Translation: You made it into the USAFA. Mak was in disbelief.
“I was with my mom and dad. We were all hyped… [my extended family] sent me texts saying ‘Congratulations!’ and all my friends were excited for me too. I told all my coaches and teachers and they were all super hyped for me,” said Mak.
The USAFA offers many benefits, such as a quality education and an immediate promotion to the rank of officer (specifically, 2nd lieutenant) for all graduates. Mak’s decision to join, however, takes root in his interest for engineering and his brother’s experiences at the Academy.
Last summer, Mak attended an engineering camp hosted by the Academy. He received a lot of exposure by living at the academy. He was able to tour the engineering labs and speak with cadets already enrolled in the Academy.
“Part of the reason why I applied was because my brother goes [to the Academy] as well. I got to see the campus. He’s shown me things and told me a ton of stories too,” he said.
Mak began his application in August after becoming an official candidate. For months, he worked on his essays, obtaining nominations from Senator Feinstein, Congressman Rohrabacher and verifications of his ACT and high school transcripts. In addition to the paperwork, Mak needed to be medically cleared.
“I spent a lot of time on it because it was the most important thing to me, to make sure that everything was perfect, that there were no mistakes and it conveyed the message I wanted it to say,” said Mak.
In his time at the academy, Mak will aim for an aeronautical engineering degree. After Mak graduates from the academy, he must serve in the United States Air Force for a minimum of five years. As of right now, he plans to pilot a fighter aircraft or control a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). It is not until the end of his mandatory service period, however, that Mak will decide whether or not to continue to serve.
“I just want to see how it is first. After those five years, then I will decide if I want to keep going up the ranks or if I want to do something else, say, with my degree.”
With the intense amount of work he has done so far and the impending challenges that await Mak in his future, his motives for doing what he does remains absolutely clear.
“There’s something in me that makes me want to serve our country and making a difference,” Mak said. “I feel like I can do this by going to the Air Force Academy.”
