Shannon Mudrinich, a rising senior at Starr’s Mill High School, was selected to attend the 2015 U.S. Air Force Academy Summer Seminar program. She attended the first session from June 7th to 12th at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.
For 2015, the U.S. Air Force Academy selected 600 young men and women from a pool of 3,000 students from around the nation and abroad to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy Summer Seminar program. This selective program is designed for high school juniors heading into their senior year. Summer Seminar allows participants to see a realistic slice of cadet life at the Air Force Academy.
Summer Seminar gives attendees a solid understanding of the challenges and rewards of life as a cadet, as well as insights into what it means to serve as an officer in the United States Air Force. During the program, students are be assigned to an “element” or group, with an upper class cadet as their Element Leader. During the four-day seminar, the attendees live in cadet dormitories and eat at the cadet dining facility, Mitchell Hall. They explore academic majors through workshops taught by Academy faculty members in subjects ranging from aeronautics to humanities and participate in a various physical fitness activities to include a simulated Candidate Fitness Assessment and our ROPEs leadership course.
The highlight of the program is “Doolie for a Day,” where they experience what it’s like to be a fourth-class cadet, or freshman, at the Academy. During this day, the attendees are challenged mentally and physically with room inspections, military knowledge tests, and physical training similar to those faced by fourth class cadets.
