Senior Airman Leah Young has done nothing but learn since she arrived at McChord Field in May of 2010. And when she departs by the end of the month, she plans to bring with her the same mentality as a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Young's acceptance to the Academy came as a complete shock.  During a quarterly awards ceremony for the 62nd Airlift Wing on May 3, Young, 21, who works in the public affairs office, was taking pictures. The entire base leadership was in attendance.

Then she felt something unlike anything before.

"Colonel Rick Moore started talking about his experience at the Academy and out of nowhere, I was told (about being accepted into the Academy)," she said. "Everybody in the room looked at me and started clapping and saying congratulations."

In order to attend the Air Force Academy, one must be nominated for appointment by a U.S. Congressman, Senator or the Vice President of the United States. It is extremely competitive, which made Young's appointment unlikely.

"I didn't think I was going to get it, but I thought it was worth giving it a shot," she said.

A special program called Leaders Encouraging Airman Development (LEAD) provided the unique opportunity. It will take Young an additional 10 months to graduate, as she's entering a program for enlisted Servicemembers.  Only 50 slots are reserved for the Academy Preparatory School, according to the Air Force's website.

Young was one of the few nominated by a unit or wing commander.

Her last day on McChord Field was last week. She's flying to her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., on June 25 where her grandparents live and will report to the Academy on July 10. She's interested in majoring in political science, English or legal studies.

Young was raised by her grandparents in Pittsburgh. She graduated from high school in 2009. A worker from the get-go, she started her sophomore year and held blue-collar jobs like working at a gas station and at a local Subway.

She's always been an independent person, she said, and since the age of 16 she's felt an obligation to hold her own and not rely too much on her grandparents. She completed her processing for the Air Force in March of 2009 and entered basic training in September that same year.

Young has been wrapping up her last-minute duties like cleaning out her apartment and office space and is excited for her career to take flight by striving to become a commissioned officer in the Air Force.

"The last month has been kind of surreal," she said, "like it's not really happening to me."

But after turning in her paperwork, redoing her ACT test and all the other tedious requirements, she now has confidence that she has the potential and can fulfill her goal.

"I wouldn't be able to be appointed without the people I've been surrounded by," Young said with a humbling voice. "Supervisors, co-workers and friends, without them I wouldn't be in the 62nd Airlift Wing."