# @af_academy on Instagram - **Type:** Image - **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DKhwzOOS0dI - **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/31212863-af-academy-instagram - **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2a32b40374.jpg - **Posted:** 2025-06-05T17:30:00.000+00:00 - **Account Owner:** U.S. Air Force Academy (@af_academy) β€” https://gondola.cc/af_academy ## Caption πŸ’ͺ πƒπžπ­πžπ«π¦π’π§πšπ­π’π¨π§ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 π‘πžπ¬π’π₯𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ✈️ At the age of 15, after completing chemotherapy, 2nd Lt Mark Carnes came here with the Cadet for a Day program and makeawishamerica Foundation. Today, as a Class of 2025 grad and armed with an economics degree, he is headed to pilot training at sheppardairforcebase. As a cadet, his accomplishments include: πŸ“š Stamps Scholar Program scholarship recipient πŸ“Š Ranked 12th in his economics class πŸ›©οΈ Record-setting glider program instructor pilot who completed two of the highest-scoring sorties in #USAFA history πŸŽ–οΈ Lead 1,000 cadets as a group commander Mark says: β€œCadet for a Day is my most valued experience at the Academy because it offers the opportunity to brighten a child's and their family’s day during one of the darkest times of their lives. It made a massive impact on the trajectory of my life when I was a cadet for a day in 2016, inspiring me to come here, and has been instrumental in shaping my character during my years here.” 🌌 Read about Mark’s journey at link in bio. #WarfightersToWin #WarriorEthos #FutureFight #CancerSurvivor #LeadersOfCharacterAndQuality #USAFA2025 #LongBlueLine #NeverQuitNeverSettle ## Stats - **Views:** 0 - **Likes:** 4,847 - **Shares:** 0 - **Comments:** 37 ## Tags neverquitneversettle, warfighterstowin, usafa, longblueline, cancersurvivor, warriorethos, leadersofcharacterandquality, usafa2025, futurefight --- Copyright (c) Gondola