It is not often high school grads are given the honor of being accepted into one of our nation’s prestigious military academies and there is a high school that has not one, but two students headed to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.
The two students are graduating from Douglas High School in the small town of Minden, Nevada, and it is something the area doesn't see too often. The last time a Douglas High grad went to a military academy was in 2010.
"The fact the two of us are from the same school in a pretty rural small location is pretty up there, said Koby Hinnant, Douglas High grad headed to the Air Force Academy.
"A lot of people that I don't even know are like ‘congratulations! Oh my gosh this is amazing.’ I'm like ‘thank you’," said Chandler Howe, also going to the Air Force Academy.
Koby Hinnant and Chandler Howe have had an incredible journey, both very active in clubs and sports at Douglas High. Koby was accepted into both the Naval and Air Force Academies and is excited for the opportunity to fly jets.
For Chandler, this was a dream since she was in junior high and all started when she played the Star Spangled Banner for veterans, who gave her a glimpse of what love of country is like. She was active in the ROTC program and quickly climbed the ranks to Battalion Commander.
A part from the extraneous process of getting an appointment from a member of Congress, only 1,200 students out of nearly 10,000 applicants get accepted into the freshman class of the Air Force Academy.
Her parents say her pursuit has been incredible to watch.
"It was a long journey to get her here from the 8th grade but she's done it and we're very, very proud of her," said David Howe, Chandler's father.
Chandler and Koby will graduate with honors from Douglas High Thursday afternoon and leave for basic training in June.
