The bell has just rung in the start of the spring semester, but one North Cobb High School student is already looking ahead to how she will take her learning to new heights—in the classroom and the sky—this summer. 

Alexis Holmes is one of only 26 students across the country selected for a competitive flight training program sponsored by the Commander of the Naval Air Force (CNAF). The North Cobb junior is the only student from Georgia who will attend the intensive summer flight academy, which is valued at more than $30,000. 

The Navy & Marine Corps JROTC Flight Academy is an 8-week summer STEM program conducted at partnering institutions nationwide. Alexis will spend eight weeks this summer receiving intensive flight instruction in the classroom and flight hours in an aircraft. Upon successfully completing the program, Alexis will have the opportunity to earn college credit and their Private Pilot’s Certification. Flight Academy is intended to inspire and encourage high school youth to pursue aviation careers. The program is a collaborative effort between the Commander, Naval Air Forces, and the Naval STEM Coordination Office operating out of the Office of Naval Research to address a national pilot shortage.

Alexis is a member of the NJROTC program at North Cobb, where she consistently displays leadership, discipline, intelligence, and initiative well ahead of her peers, according to the school’s Senior Naval Science Instructor, CDR Phil Pascoe, US Navy (retired).

In addition to classroom instruction, cadets like Alexis participate in community service activities, drill competitions, field meets, flights, visits to naval activities, marksmanship/STEM training, and other military training that help students develop individuality and natural gifts.

As a NJROTC cadet, Alexis was selected to serve as a Class Leader when a junior – a position normally reserved for senior cadets. She leads all North Cobb NJROTC teams (drill, color guard, orienteering, academics, and athletics) and is a soccer athlete and team captain. The North Cobb student was hand-picked to attend the in-residence summer NJROTC Leadership Academy, which is reserved for a select top ten percent of cadets. She was also selected as a Platoon Commander and earned the highly coveted Honor Platoon designation. After volunteering to serve as the Unit Public Affairs Officer, Alexis redesigned the unit’s webpage and social media platforms. 

Thanks to her training at North Cobb, Alexis will be able to continue to explore a career pathway at the Naval Flight Academy and develop skills that could put her on a path to becoming one of the country’s future military or civilian leaders.