From left, Casa Roble Fundamental High School students Alexander Shumaker and Leonardo Rosello earned their pilot’s licenses through the competitive Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy Scholarship Program. Photo courtesy of San Juan Unified School District

ORANGEVALE, CA (MPG) - Two Casa Roble Fundamental High School seniors reached new heights over the summer by earning their pilot’s licenses before even graduating high school.

Alexander Shumaker and Leonardo Rosello were selected for the competitive Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy Scholarship Program, which gives nearly 200 cadets the opportunity to attend a flight training program during the summer.

Both Shumaker and Rosello balanced long days of schoolwork and flight hours to achieve this milestone in eight weeks, a feat that often takes others six months to complete. 

However, the road to becoming a licensed pilot was far from easy.

“It’s a pretty strenuous process,” Shumaker said. “We had to study a lot. It was a lot of late nights of just aviation books, doing a lot of ground school and then lots of flight hours.”

Said Rosello, “To put in perspective how stressful and taxing it was, I think I lost 20 pounds in the two months that we were out there and I was eating a lot, so I don’t know if it was sweating in the plane or just stressing over tests but it's definitely a process.” 

Although studying took up a significant portion of their time, Shumaker said, the maneuvers were some of the most challenging parts for him. 

“You’re going up in the air and you have a lot of wind pushing you around,” Shumaker said. “You have like three dimensions you have to work with and it gets pretty difficult with the amount of things you’re looking at.”

Leonardo Rosello, left, and Alexander Shumaker are among the almost 200 cadets chosen to attend an Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy Scholarship Program during the summer. They spent eight weeks completing strenuous schoolwork and flight hours to become licensed pilots. Photo courtesy of San Juan Unified School District

For Rosello, the most difficult part was the intense focus required when balancing schoolwork and training all day.

“Up until this point, this is the most intense academic activity I've gone through,” Rosello said. “Our days were long and the only real time you had to yourself was when you were sleeping. It felt like you’d blink and the next day began.” 

Despite the challenges, Shumaker said, the moment that stuck with him most was when he first put on the flight suit.

“Just seeing and donning the flight suit for the first time. It’s so cool, just looking at yourself in the mirror,” Shumaker said. 

Rosello’s most rewarding moment came during one unforgettable sunset flight.

“It was golden hour, just surreal,” Rosello said. “I couldn’t believe where I was with my flight instructor, who turned out to be a really cool person and a friend of mine toward the end. I think that’s one of those moments I’ll see on my death.”

Casa Roble’s Air Force Junior ROTC program played a central role in helping the two students take flight. Their instructor, Scott Dawes, said both cadets stood out for their determination.

“It takes commitment to get to those big moments,” Dawes said. “What you put in is what you get out and they really demonstrated that. Their peers sometimes have a hard time getting their driver’s license and these guys can fly to prom if they want.”

Principal Tanya Baker agreed that their achievements show the power of real-world learning. 

“This raises the profile of our JROTC program on campus,” Baker said. “We’re known for strong athletics but this is like a championship too. Students can see two of their peers becoming licensed pilots and they understand that’s something big.”

Shumaker and Rosello encourage younger students to pursue opportunities that might initially feel out of reach.

“Start right when you start thinking about it,” Shumaker advised. “Do everything you can. If there’s a club you can join, do it. Do everything because it all matters in the end. Also, join ROTC; you’ll need to be in it at least a year if you want to apply for Flight Academy.”

Rosello said, “You might feel like you're running out of time or you don't have enough time to do the things you need to do to get there. But if you don't make sacrifices for your dreams, your dream will become the sacrifice.”