The United States Air Force Academy sits more than a mile above sea level in the Rocky Mountains. But its cadets and instructors helped 18-year-old Sarah fly even higher during her spring visit to their campus.

Sarah, who was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease, had always wanted to be a cadet at the academy. Wish granters from Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Central California and the Jewelers for Children Wish A State program got her wish off the ground, and the academy’s “Cadet for a Day” program arranged two days of activities that had her spirits soaring.

Academy personnel outfitted Sarah with her own flight suit and a matching jacket. She started the day with tours of the flight line, airfield control tower and parachute school. She saw the academy’s fleet of powered gliders and DA-20 training aircraft; Sarah then lifted off for an orientation ride in the DA-20, getting a falcon’s eye view of the spectacular scenery around the campus. At the parachute school, Sarah strapped into a harness and dangled from a two-story ceiling to experience the thrills of parachute training. Soon, it was time for lunch with the academy’s 4,000 cadets.

She took charge of more than 100 cadets and gave them their marching orders.

“We marched for several hundred yards, and I hope I’ll never have to do that again because that was hard!” Sarah said.

After lunch, Sarah became a real top gun: She took the controls of a flight simulator at the Air Battle Laboratory. Next, she took a tour of the chapel before visiting the Cadet Field House to watch some boxing and track and field competitions.
Sarah’s amazing experience continued into a second day. She toured the firehouse before meeting the academy’s falcon mascots. Falconry is one of the extracurricular activities offered to cadets, who learn to lead these birds that can dive at speeds up to 200 miles per hour. Sarah also met the 10th Security Force Squadron’s canine teams. She then sat with Lt. Gen. John Rosa, who was then the academy superintendent, and interim NASA chief Frederick Gregory during a parade.

“While I was there, everybody seemed to know who I was,” Sarah said.

Her day at the academy did more than make her feel popular. It also changed the way she thinks of herself. Marching with the cadets and flying in the simulator helped Sarah’s self-image reach a new altitude.

“That weekend changed my life because I realized I don’t have to look at myself as someone who is sick,” she said.

Jewelers for Children is a nonprofit organization created by the jewelry industry to raise money for children’s charities. Since 1999, JFC has helped the Make-A-Wish Foundation grant more than 750 wishes to courageous children nationwide. The Air Force Academy’s Cadet for a Day program has partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation since the program’s inception in 2000. Both of these important programs help the Foundation share the power of a wish®.