FLYING HIGH

It's 3 p.m., and the final bell has rung at The Meadows School.

While students rush to jobs or home, senior Graham Hilts is doing hundreds of sit-ups and push-ups and running laps around the track before heading to sports practice.

He's planning for a different lifestyle than what he's been used to -- one that requires discipline and patience as a member of the U.S. Air Force.

Hilts is a National Merit Commended Scholar and plays football, basketball and runs track. His leadership abilities have led him to being named captain of the football and basketball teams.

But his goals are to become a pilot and study law.

Hilts' uncle has been an Air Force mechanic for 18 years, working on F-16s and F-22s.

"He told me great stories and made me eager to serve our country," Hilts says. "I want to pursue any career in aviation but hopefully flying specifically."

He got a taste of what it would be like to be an Air Force cadet when he attended the Air Force Academy Summer Seminar.

"It was intense waking up every morning at 5:30 a.m. and doing the daily physical training," he says. "They were extremely tough on us with strict rules."

A lot of the time was spent on physical training and discipline from exercise to room inspections. Hilts also attended classes at the Academy in which they were taught English, physics and chemistry.

''Cadets'' also learned about various aircraft.

"They have amazing technology, and the things they do are breathtaking," he says.

Hilts was able to sit in the cockpit of a jet.

"It was weird. It (the cockpit) was small and cramped, but when you got in, it gave you that thrill of going fast."

Playing sports at The Meadows has helped Hilts develop leadership skills and the confidence and discipline that he will need if he is accepted to the academy.

"I like Graham because he's just such a competitor and welcomes any challenge, never backing down," says Gary Hannig, who has coached Hilts at The Meadows. "He's got great character and great values, almost like the kid next door. He is a quiet leader, but leads by example which shows through his effort."

Hilts says he has become the leader that he is through his experiences at home with his two younger sisters who are 5 and 13 years old. "I always try to do the right things because I know they are always following my example," he says.

Academy life is difficult, but Hilts says that football along with his academics have prepared him.

"You have to be in good physical shape and be able to think and perform in high pressure situations," he says.

When at the summer camp, Hilts' hard work paid off and the intensity did not even faze him.

If Hilts does not have the opportunity to become a pilot in the Air Force, he plans on pursuing a career in law.