April Hood of Luling had her choice of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., or Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lured by an immediate job out of high school, intellectual studies and serving her country, the Hahnville High School graduate chose Air Force Academy.
“The whole service for the country is the main reason, but I’m also going to get a stable job out of school with a lot of opportunity for advancement,” said the pragmatic teen. “It’ll set me on a really good path in my life.”
Hood also wanted to do something exciting, which she saw with Air Force Academy opportunities like skydiving and foreign exchange.
Despite her need for speed, this HHS graduate may pass on becoming a pilot for more intellectual pursuits, possibly working in analysis or intelligence.
This is also why West Point wasn’t as interesting to her.
“The Army doesn’t appeal to me as much,” she said. “They’re the people on the ground … in the dirt.”
Hood’s not wearing the uniform yet, but she will soon.
After recently visiting the academy, she returned convinced it was the place for her.
“Colorado is really beautiful and it’s a huge campus,” said an impressed new recruit who then confirmed she was joining the Air Force.
Hood will report for six weeks of basic training on June 25 and then begin classes, likely for a degree in behavioral sciences, although she doesn’t have to choose her major until her junior year.
“It’s interesting to see how people think and what motivates them,” she said. “It’s not just how the brain works, but emotions, too.”
The military academy is for officer candidates with the mission “to education, train and inspire” candidates.
When Hood graduates in four years, she will enter the Air Force as a second lieutenant.
It represents an interesting turn in her life.
She doesn’t come from a military family, although her grandfather served in the U.S. Marines and her father is a military buff who is proud of her going into the military.
“When I was younger, I never imagined going into the military, but in the last year she thought more about serving her country. She acknowledged that it’ll be a sacrifice, but one she believes is worth it.
“Structure can be good,” Hood said of the military’s regimented environment. “I think it will help being more disciplined.”
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