Striving for perfection: four cadet candidates maintain 4.0 GPAs

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachel Hammes
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Approximately 200 cadet candidates enter the Academy Prep School every fall, spending the next 10 months honing their physical, military and academic skills for entry into the Academy. While not all cadet candidates become Academy cadets, it's what they are all working toward.

This year, four cadet candidates achieved 4.0 GPAs for the second quarter of the 2014-2015 academic year. They and other Prep School cadet candidates are outperforming last year's class with a final semester cumulative GPA of 2.90, compared to last year's 2.82.

Cadet Candidates Caitlin Stewart-Moore, Joseph Kloc and Chad E. Chreene II, all in Prep School Alpha Squadron, and Cadet Candidate Jared Kreuzer, Bravo Squadron, were honored at a Jan. 12 ceremony at the Prep School.

Stewart-Moore said she was proud to discover she was one of the cadet candidates with a 4.0 GPA.

"I had made it my goal from midway through the second quarter to get a 4.0," she said. "I knew it was possible, because if you put your mind to it you're going to be able to reach any goal and accomplish whatever you're striving for."

Kreuzer said it's important to work toward achieving his dream of being a helicopter pilot.

"That's a very competitive job in the Air Force," said Kruezer, who has recently been accepted as cadet candidate group commander for the Prep School. "It's kind of cliché, but I think when you do something in life there's no reason to give less than 100 percent. There's no reason to start something and then not give it your all."

Out of the four cadet candidates with 4.0s, Kruezer, Kloc and Chreene were enlisted Airmen before applying to the Academy.

Chreene, who was an Air Traffic Controller at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., said he feels being prior enlisted helped prepare him for the rigors of the Prep School.

"Being prior enlisted definitely prepared me for the strict military schedule that is enforced here," he said. "From something as simple as knowing how to put on the Air Force uniform properly in a short amount of time, to knowing how to strategically approach people in a respectful way, I think it's helped me significantly."

Kruezer previously served as a C-130 crew chief, stationed at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Penn., and Kloc was a medical technician at Buckley AFB.

The cadet candidates attribute part of their success to the Military Training Officers and Academy Military Trainers assigned to their squadrons.

"They're really good role models," Kloc said. "We can just stop by their office and talk about work stuff or whatever, and they'll help out as best they can. They let you vent to them about things that are bothering you."

Second Lt. Heather Shepard, Alpha Squadron MTO, said she is extremely proud of the four cadet candidates.

"Every cadet candidate is taught the Air Force demands nothing short of excellence, as outlined in their core values," she said. "A 4.0 proves that these cadet candidates are not only demanding excellent performance from themselves, but pure perfection. As their leadership, I can personally attest to the team vision these four share, as they have all equally given their personal time to tutor their classmates in the more difficult subjects of math and science."