Madison Lloyd
Four years ago, Highlands School alumna Madison Lloyd left her small hometown to try and achieve her dream of becoming a pilot. Now, that dream is about to come a reality as she prepares to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy.
Lloyd said she decided to go into the academy because of her family.
“I started to think about going to the academy when I was a freshman in high school, and it was mostly because of my grandfather,” Lloyd said. “He was like my best friend. I grew up with him and always spent a lot of time with him. I remember that when I would spend time with him, it could be a 15-minute car ride, and his phone would go off nonstop. Most of the time, it was his buddies that he was in the navy with 40 years ago. That is something that stuck with me since I was young. Also, being from such a small town, and this sounds kind of dark, but I thought that there was this precedent over Highlands and the high schoolers that since the town was so small, there were not going to be a lot of opportunities for us to get out of this town. It was kind of like you against the world, so I wanted to rid that precedent of all the kids coming up behind me and show them that if you really wanted something you could go after it and get it.”
Now out of Highlands in the academy, Lloyd said in the past four years there has been some ups and downs, but it was everything she dreamt about.
“It has been a rollercoaster,” Lloyd said. “But it was everything I expected and more. The people that I have met here are ultimately the reason why I am still here. That is something that I heard coming into my freshman year, talking to all of the upperclassmen, they said that everybody goes to the academy for different reasons, but they ultimately stay for the same and that is the people around them. That has held true to the day. I have a whole other family out here. I mean, one of my best friends is from Kazakhstan and that is something that you won’t get from Highlands. It has been incredible.”
From jumping out of airplanes, to spending nights with friends, Lloyd said there are too many stories to share.
“One of the things that immediately jumps out of my mind is jumping out of an airplane solo,” Lloyd said. “There are just so many stories with all of the people that I have met here that are highlights of being here.”
A couple of weeks ago, Lloyd went through the process of finding what job she will be doing after graduation.
“I found out that I got a pilot slot,” Lloyd said. “After graduation, we get about 60 days of paid vacation. Once the 60 days are up, we report to our bases and because of the pilot pipeline, I will more than likely be casual for a couple months. Once flight training starts, I will report to a base in either Texas, Oklahoma or Mississippi.”
Looking back at her freshman self, Lloyd said there were definitely days where she thought she wouldn’t make it to this point.
“With the job drop day, where we open our envelopes to find out our job, they make it very special,” Lloyd said. “As underclassmen, we had to set it up every year, so I had to set it up every year and watch the seniors open their envelope and break down in tears because they finally reached that moment. That was everything I felt and more when I finally got to open my envelope. I never felt like it was going to be me until I was actually holding the envelope.”
For the high schoolers that may want to follow the same path as Lloyd, she said that a support system is key.
“You are not going to be able to do this alone,” Lloyd said. “Especially at this place, it’s a crucible. It breaks you down and builds you up every single day. I think the sooner that you embrace that you are going to need help along the way the better you are going to do.”
Speaking of a good support system, Lloyd said she could not have made it through the academy without the support of her mother, father and brother.
“My mom, dad and brother have been cornerstones through the entire process,” Lloyd said. “My mom is the only person who has seen all of the dark. All of the tears and the bad days. She has seen it all. She never gave up hope and she was always that center of peace for me. My brother is five years older than me, but he always tells me that he always looks up to me and for a big brother to say that and somebody that I always looked up to, that has been a driving force for me.”
Once Lloyd graduates, she will be a 2nd Lieutenant, but she said after graduation, the studying won’t stop.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people are in the career that I am going to be in, and they said the days are long and the studying never stops,” Lloyd said. “I’ve known people that have set up simulations in their rooms just to prep them and get their minds right. They say that the weekends are the only time to get away and decompress, but during the week it is totally, 100 percent pilot focused.”
As of right now, Lloyd said she hopes to fly helicopters during her time in the service.
- By Christopher Lugo