Parents are sold: Grunau to AFA
Kaitlyn Grunau’s parents, Tim and Leigh Grunau, weren’t initially on board with her pursuit of a U.S. Air Force Academy appointment.
“My dad wasn’t too thrilled,” admitted Grunau, who was this year’s sole military college appointment from Farragut High School’s Class of 2018.
“It was such a new idea (for both my parents), and it was kind of sudden. It took some getting used to.”
Both Tim and Leigh are pilots — her father for Delta and her mother for United Postal Service. And even though Tim did serve a stint in the Air Force, he still did not envision his daughter’s serious commitment.
Not only would it require she attend a school across the country in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but it also would mean she was expected to serve at least five years of military service after graduation.
It certainly was different from her initial plans, which centered on possibly attending Duke or Vanderbilt universities, while also considering serving in some lesser military capacity.
“I had thought about some kind of military (affiliation) but(thought it might be more like ROTC,” said Grunau.
However, it was through a friend and former FHS student Spencer Flint that she began to see another option.
“(Spencer0 was appointed to the Academy last year, and when I saw the things he was doing, I saw that the opportunities there were unlike anywhere else,” she said.
Grunau began the extensive application process last July, which included a general questionnaire, “to see if I would qualify as a candidate,” she said. After that hurdle was cleared, “then there was a whole list of what I had to do.”
The list included three essays, three to four letters of recommendation and a congressional nomination, which she received from U.S. Rep. John J. “Jimmy” Duncan Jr. (R-2nd District).
Grunau already was a high achiever academically by taking AP classes and being inducted into the National Honor Society among her many accomplishments. She also has ended her high school career with upwards of a 3.8 grade-point average.
Grunau also has been active in track and field and cross-country during high school, which put her in line for what certainly will be strenuous physical challenges ahead.
As she continued working toward her goal, the Grunaus saw their daughter’s commitment and softened toward her decision to attend the Academy, she said.
She received her letter of assurance in December, and the appointment was made official earlier this year with Duncan’s nomination. Grunau was honored during FHS graduation ceremonies May 19 in UT’s Thompson-Boling Arena by retired U.S. Air Force Col. Rick Kuhlman, who made the announcement.
She reports for duty June 28, when she will join around 1,100 members of the Academy’s freshman class.
“It is a little scary, and it is getting more real,” she said in an interview late last month.
Grunau, her parents and her brother, Scott, will fly west June 21 so Grunau can get acclimated — mainly to the altitude — and her family can give her a proper send-off as she embarks on six weeks of basic training, where she will not be allowed letters, phone calls or any electronics for the duration.
She said she has prepared for the move by hitting the gym and talking to Flint and other current and former Air Force Academy students.
Grunau won’t have to worry about packing. “We really aren’t allowed to bring anything but underwear — they provide everything for us,” she said. “It’s kind of a relief not to have to go through” that process as other collegiate-bound students will do.
Grunau said she does not plan to go through pilot training, which is the main choice of roughly 50 percent of Air Force Academy graduates.
Instead, she plans to study medicine after completing a bachelor of science degree, and will apply for a highly competitive Air Force scholarship.
“I want to go to medical school but don’t want to narrow myself down too fast,” she said.
With so many years ahead of her tied to the Air Force, Grunau said she realizes “it is a huge commitment to make at 17.” The Air Force Academy allows students to change their minds by the end sophomore year as to their committment, with no attached penalties, she said.
“But, I don’t plan on leaving.”
