Good afternoon, My name is Isaac Velazquez. My father is active-duty Air Force and my mother is an Air Force Veteran. Both my grandfathers served in the Army, my aunt and 2 uncles served in the Air Force, and I had a great grandfather that served in the Navy then transferred to the Army. I have 2 siblings, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 3 goldfish. My entire life, I have seen my parent's contributions to our country, and their actions have inspired me to follow in their footsteps. As a dependent, I am blessed to have lived in multiple locations. Each location was exciting, but my favorite assignment was the United Kingdom. I truly enjoyed my time with my family and thrived throughout my academic career. My family and I took full advantage of the travel opportunities. We saw many historical monuments, locations, and structures. Additionally, I played various sports for school, where I lettered in football, marksmanship, and soccer. I learned to follow my team captain's leadership and provide feedback to fellow teammates during events and games. As I progressed, I learned how to lead fellow team members and how to reach each of them utilizing their strengths to be successful on the field. I have participated in recreational sports for the base youth centers and local sports organizations. I have an extreme passion and desire to join the Air Force upon graduation from college as a Civil Engineer. To begin my journey as an active-duty officer, I enrolled and served as an active member of the Cane Bay High School and the RAF Alconbury Middle High School JROTC programs. As a JROTC cadet, I have participated in multiple events for my schools and the community. I have led volunteer events, picked up trash and debris, mentored first and second year students on how JROTC operates, as a cadet logistics officer, and ultimately fulfilled the role of Flight Commander. I have also volunteered in the 628th Medical Group Pharmacy, helping the team hand out prescriptions and interacting with retired veterans as they pick up their medications. The experience of engaging with retired veterans is life-changing and has driven me even more to be a part of such a fantastic organization as the Air Force. I have been accepted to The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, where I will further my leadership, followership, and team-building development. I am excited for the next chapter of my life and your part in making my dream possible—thank-you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing back from the selection committee. ~Isaac Velazquez

Good morning/afternoon, My name is Isaac Velazquez. My father is active-duty Air Force, and mother is an Air Force Veteran. My entire life, I have seen my parents’ contributions to our country, and their actions have inspired me to follow in their footsteps. I have been blessed to live in multiple locations. Each location was exciting, but my favorite assignment was the United Kingdom. Although it was a difficult time, I truly enjoyed my time with my family and thrived throughout my academic career. My family and I took full advantage of the travel opportunities that the country had to offer. We saw many historical monuments, locations, and structures. We arrived at RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom, from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, on January 6, 2021. We quarantined for ten days per the COVID protocols of the United Kingdom. I recall my mom making comments about some pain in her chest, but I didn’t think much about it. Once we completed our quarantine time, I remember my mom telling my dad that she was going to make an appointment with her doctor. I started at a new school the next few days and went about my usual day. About 2 or 3 days later, I noticed my parents seemed down, so I asked if everything was okay. My parents told us that my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The big "C" word brought terror, questions, and confusion. I had heard from friends and family what challenges typically came from cancer, but to suddenly be living it never prepared me for what was to come. I was full of anger, fear, and sadness to know that she would have to go through this challenging time, but she was not alone. She had chemo treatment every month followed by radiation and surgeries. One thing that helped was to plan trips around the UK on the weekend before her next chemo, giving her small goals. These trips became more than just trips for me. I began to embrace the moments with my mom and appreciate every laugh, smile, and photo we took together. My mom is my biggest cheerleader, and I cannot imagine a life without her. I leaned on my faith, family, and friends to help me through this challenging time, and it has made me a better person overall. I have an extreme passion and desire to join the Air Force upon graduation from college as a Civil Engineer. I want to give back to something that has given opportunities to my family. To begin my journey as an active-duty officer, I enrolled and served as an active member of the Cane Bay High School and the RAF Alconbury Middle High School JROTC programs. I have participated in multiple events for my schools and the community. I have led volunteer events, picked up trash and debris, mentored 1st and 2nd year students on how JROTC operates, led as a cadet logistics officer, and ultimately the role of Flight Commander. I volunteered in the 628th Medical Group Pharmacy, helping the team hand out prescriptions and interacting with retired veterans as they pick up their medications. The experience of engaging with retired veterans is life-changing and has driven me even more to be a part of such a fantastic organization as the Air Force. I have been accepted to The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, where I will further my leadership and team-building development. I am excited for the next chapter of my life and your part in making my dream possible—thank you for your consideration. Isaac Velazquez

Good morning/afternoon, My name is Isaac Velazquez. My father is active-duty Air Force, and mother is an Air Force Veteran. My entire life, I have seen my parents’ contributions to our country, and their actions have inspired me to follow in their footsteps. As a dependent, I have been blessed to live in multiple locations. Each location was exciting, but my favorite assignment was the United Kingdom. Although it was a difficult time, I truly enjoyed my time with my family and thrived throughout my academic career. My family and I took full advantage of the travel opportunities that the country had to offer. We saw many historical monuments, locations, and structures. We arrived at RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom, from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, on January 6, 2021. We quarantined for ten days per the COVID protocols of the United Kingdom. I recall my mom making comments about some pain in her chest, but at the time I didn’t think much about it. Once we completed our quarantine time, I remember my mom telling my dad that she was going to make an appointment with her doctor. I started at a new school the next few days and went about my usual day. About 2 or 3 days later, I noticed my parents seemed down, so I asked if everything was okay. My parents told us that my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This brought terror, questions and confusion. I had heard from friends and family what challenges typically came from cancer, but to suddenly be living it never prepared me for what was to come. I was full of anger, fear, and sadness to know that she would have to go through this challenging time, but she was not alone. She had chemo treatment every month followed by radiation and surgeries. One thing that helped was to plan trips around the UK on the weekend before her next chemo, giving her small goals. These trips became more than just trips for me. I began to embrace the moments with my mom and appreciate every laugh, smile, and photo we took together. My mom is my biggest cheerleader, and I cannot imagine a life without her. I leaned on my faith, family, and friends to help me through this challenging time, and it has made me a better person overall. I have an extreme passion and desire to join the Air Force upon graduation from college as a Civil Engineer. I want to give back to something that has given opportunities to my family. To begin my journey as an active-duty officer, I enrolled and served as an active member of the Cane Bay High School and the RAF Alconbury Middle High School JROTC programs. I participated in multiple events for my schools and the community. I led volunteer events, picked up trash and debris, mentored 1st and 2nd year students on how JROTC operates, led as a cadet logistics officer, and ultimately the role of Flight Commander. I also volunteered in the 628th Medical Group Pharmacy, helping the team hand out prescriptions and interacting with retired veterans as they pick up their medications. The experience of engaging with retired veterans is life-changing and has driven me even more to be a part of such a fantastic organization as the Air Force. I have been accepted to The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, where I will further my leadership and team-building development. I am excited for the next chapter of my life and your part in making my dream possible—thank-you for your consideration. Isaac Velazquez

Good afternoon, My name is Isaac Velazquez. My father is active-duty Air Force and my mother is an Air Force Veteran. I have 2 siblings, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 3 goldfish. My entire life, I have seen my parent's contributions to our country, and their actions have inspired me to follow in their footsteps. As a dependent, I am blessed to have lived in multiple locations. Each location was exciting, but my favorite assignment was the United Kingdom. I truly enjoyed my time with my family and thrived throughout my academic career. My family and I took full advantage of the travel opportunities. We saw many historical monuments, locations, and structures. Additionally, I played various sports for school, where I lettered in football, marksmanship, and soccer. I learned to follow my team captain's leadership and provide feedback to fellow teammates during events and games. As I progressed, I learned how to lead fellow team members and how to reach each of them utilizing their strengths to be successful on the field. I have participated in recreational sports for the base youth centers and local sports organizations. I have an extreme passion and desire to join the Air Force upon graduation from college as a Civil Engineer. To begin my journey as an active-duty officer, I enrolled and served as an active member of the Cane Bay High School and the RAF Alconbury Middle High School JROTC programs. As a JROTC cadet, I have participated in multiple events for my schools and the community. I have led volunteer events, picked up trash and debris, mentored first and second year students on how JROTC operates, as a cadet logistics officer, and ultimately fulfilled the role of Flight Commander. I have also volunteered in the 628th Medical Group Pharmacy, helping the team hand out prescriptions and interacting with retired veterans as they pick up their medications. The experience of engaging with retired veterans is life-changing and has driven me even more to be a part of such a fantastic organization as the Air Force. I have been accepted to The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, where I will further my leadership, followership, and team-building development. I am excited for the next chapter of my life and your part in making my dream possible—thank-you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing back from the selection committee on their decision. ~Isaac Velazquez