Into the wild blue yonder

By Tara Nelson

Blaine high school senior Tegan Bukowski is one of two Whatcom County students to be nominated to the U.S. Air Force Academy by a U.S. senator and the first student from Whatcom to be appointed to the academy.

A member of the National Honor Society and Key Club, she was also vice president of her senior class, a varsity golfer, cheerleader and an honor roll student. In addition, Bukowski is an active community volunteer working at the Sardis raptor rehabilitation center and has traveled to Uganda, Africa with her father for missionary work, according to a press release from the U.S. Air Force.

Academy liaison office Stephen Cook in Bellingham said Bukowski was selected because of her achievements both as a student and citizen. 
“She’s a very well-rounded person,” he said. “Not only is she involved in athletics, but she’s a very outgoing person, very focused and very intelligent. When we look for a person, we look for a person who’s well rounded. We don’t look for kids who are just padding a resume. We look for substance. She also showed a level of maturity that we don’t see in most people.”

The Air Force Academy’s 18,000-acre campus is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While there, Bukowski will receive military training as well as the opportunity to earn a bachelor of science degree in the field of her choice. Completion of the academy’s curriculum will earn her the commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, as well.
Bukowski is one of 1,300 students nation-wide and one of two students in Whatcom County to be nominated by a state senator to the academy. She was nominated by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.).The other student, a resident of Ferndale, has not yet been appointed to the academy.

Bukowski will begin her appointment in late June.