Valencia graduate is sworn into flight school 

Cervantes is sworn in on May 30. Courtesy of Noah Cervantes.
Cervantes is sworn in on May 30. Courtesy of Noah Cervantes.
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High school graduates often reach for the sky, and in the case of Noah Cervantes, that is his new trajectory. Graduating from Valencia High School in May, Cervantes was accepted into the United States Army’s High School to Flight School program merely an hour before his commencement, and was sworn in on May 30. 

The process for Cervantes entailed earning good grades as a student, earning a high score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, studying for the Selection Instrument for Flight Training test, passing the medical board and submitting letters of recommendation, including one from a lieutenant colonel and Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita.  

“They’ve given me a reserve slot for Warrant Officer Candidate School, where after basic training is completed, I’ll go over to WOCS then over to Warrant Officer Flight Training, where I’ll be taught how to fly. It’s basically a pipeline for people who want to fly with the military,” Cervantes said. 

According to Cervantes, WOCS will teach Cervantes how his rank works as an officer in the Army and what comes with it, how he should conduct himself and officer responsibilities. Through WOFT, Cervantes will be taught the basics of flight, as well as going through Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training, where he’ll then learn how to survive in case of an emergency. 

Cervantes recently graduated Valencia High School. Courtesy of Noah Cervantes.

“They’ll also teach me how to fly in the helicopter and then from there, based on my scores, they’ll assign me to a separate platform where they’ll do more more centralized training on the platform,” Cervantes. “I’ve grown up in a pretty military family. My uncle was in the Army. My dad was in the Marine Corps. My grandpa was in the Army.” 

Cervantes’ interest in the military piqued in junior high school, joining the JROTC his freshman year of high school.  

“I stuck with it throughout all my four years and managed to climb the ranks, got a leadership position and hosted and participated in events. Throughout my time in JROTC, I got an interest in flight. After doing a discovery flight and taking a class at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University [last summer], I did a couple of phone calls to recruiter offices, and that’s when I called my current recruiter, Sgt. Chris Taylor, and he informed me of the high school program and then that’s when I started the process for that.” 

Cervantes has an initial contract for three years and 21 weeks for his training starting in October. He will be in South Carolina for basic training, then Alabama for the WOCS and WOFT. 

As for Cervantes’ advice for anyone interested in the same path? 

“The information on the program itself is pretty hard to find, but though a little bit of research and hard work, it’s alright to get through. You can do it. You can do whatever you can set your mind on. You can knock it out and get it done.” 

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