BUFFALO, NY- As Memorial Day approaches, Channel 2 News Daybreak is highlighting a teen from Sloan who wants to serve our country. He's well on his way to doing it and making history at his school in the the process.
Ever since Jared Wright first stepped foot inside WNY Maritime Charter School, he had one goal in mind.
"My lifelong goal is that I want to be a Thunderbird pilot," Jared said.
He knew the first step was to get into the Air Force Academy. So every decision he made inside and outside the classroom was all about making that dream a reality. School leaders say they've never seen anyone like him.
"He's the best of the best. The kids look up to him," said school commandant, Catherine Oldenburg. "His overall average is over 100. He has earned the highest rank of all the students here."
That rank is battalion commander, meaning Jared leads weekly inspections of other cadets and helps makes decisions about every aspect of student life.
"I really found that my special gift here is my leadership," he said.
Jared is also a multi-sport athlete, a worship leader at The Chapel in Getzville, plays about a dozen instruments and marches in a bagpipe band and has his own photography business (Instagram @JaredDWright ).
So what can't Jared do?
"There is stuff that still comes hard to me," he said. "Time management and still being a kid and just balancing social life with academic life and professional life."
Jared said he was accepted into about 14 colleges and earned $2 million dollars in scholarships. Of course, to him, only one really mattered.
Finally in March after months of interviews, a lengthy application process and obtaining congressional letters of recommendation, Jared received his acceptance letter into the Air Force Academy.
"This is it. I've worked so hard my entire 12 years of school to get to this point. It was definitely cool. Emotional," he said.
He immediately picked up the phone and called the two people who he said gave him the skills to take him where he is today- his father and mother.
"It's been a long time since I've heard Jared cry and he had tears of excitement and joy," said his father, David Wright.
Just like his father, grandfather and two other brothers have done before him, Jared says he's honored that he'll be able to serve our country in the military.
"I knew from the beginning I had some debt to the country. I think we live in the greatest country in the world," Jared said.
Jared is the first cadet ever from WNY Maritime Charter School to be accepted into any military academy since the school opened in 2004.
"We couldn't be more proud," Oldenburg said.
At a ceremony last week, he was officially appointed as a cadet in the United States Air Force Academy class of 2022.
"We accept only the best of the best. This year of the over 10,000 applicants, we only accepted 1,160, so you can see how truly outstanding this young man truly is," said Col. William Hoak, who presented Jared with the appointment. "I can't wait to see what great things Jared will do."
At the end of four years, Jared will be commissioned as second Lt. in the US Air Force, and perhaps one day he'll become a Thunderbird.
"I'm excited to start my life," Jared said. "I'm excited to go on and do really big things."