Guthrie congratulates South Warren senior on U.S. Air Force Academy appointment

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - It’s the time of year when many high school seniors start to think about what’s next after high school, whether that is attending college, joining the workforce, or pursuing something else.

One South Warren High School Senior has other plans. Gavin Wilson will be heading to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.

“I wanted to serve my country. That was something I was really passionate about,” he said.

On Monday, U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie visited South Warren High School to present Wilson with a congratulatory certificate on his appointment to the academy.

“It is just extremely difficult to get into these schools these days,” Guthrie said. ”It’s the best program in the world to prepare leaders. And the US Air Force Academy is phenomenal.”

For Gavin, a career in the military means being able to follow in the footsteps of several family and friends.

“Both of my parents parents were in the military,” Wilson said. ”My grandfather [who] lived in Fort Bragg, North Carolina... that was his whole life. That’s all he did. And so he would talk about jumping out of airplanes... so I really found that an attractive aspect. He was so passionate about it, that I feel like I picked up that sort of attraction too.”

In addition, he said it was something that was in the back of his mind since elementary school.

“But once I got into high school, I kind of like realized that this was something that I really wanted to pursue,” Wilson said. ”I kind of tried my best to research everything that I needed to improve on, and then just going to accomplish those things.”

Those things include making sure he is in shape, doing good in school, and trying to be a leader in the different clubs and school sports that he is part of.

“It’s a big, long process. So once you get all that done, the best you can do is just hope and pray,” Gavin said.

As for what happens next, Gavin said he plans to visit Colorado this weekend to get acclimated to the environment. He also plans on keeping up with his reading and math skills as much as he can, even after school is out.

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