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KHS' Anna Bauer Selected for Elite Naval Flight Academy
- Kingsley Area Schools
- May 30
- 2 min read
Rising Senior Anna Bauer is one of ten students selected from more than 1,000 nationwide applicants
This summer is going to reach new heights for Kingsley High School junior Anna Bauer as she takes off for the Commander Naval Air Forces Flight Academy (CNAF).
Anna is one of just ten students who has earned a spot in the prestigious program. She beat out thousands of applicants from across the country and international military bases and is the only cadet from Michigan.
The rigorous application process included physical fitness tests, aptitude tests, essays, and high academic achievements.
For eight weeks this summer, she will be expected to work and study 10 to 12 hours per day, seven days a week, as she learns about aviation in the accelerated program.
Upon successful completion of the program, she will earn five college credits and a private pilot's license.
The program, valued at $28,000 per student, includes flight school tuition, room and board, and invaluable training from the US Navy, and comes with zero cost or military service obligation to the students.
The CNAF program was launched in 2021 to attract diverse and high-achieving candidates to the field. Aviation careers are in high demand and there is a nationwide pilot shortage.
This is not Anna’s first experience with the Navy, as she previously attended the highly competitive Naval Academy STEM summer camp a few years ago.
“I think that gave me an edge in my application. I understand the way the Navy likes things done, and the kind of cadets they like. I also want to go to the Naval Academy after high school graduation and I think they liked that.”
Anna has been matched to a flight school and will head out to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, this Sunday, June 1.
Anna is currently involved with Kingsley High School’s Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. (NJROTC) and serves as the unit’s operations officer. She serves as a student representative on the Board of Education, and is also a gifted scientist, recently earning top accolades at the Flint Regional Science & Engineering Fair.
