After graduation, Lillian Clifford, senior, is reaching for the skies after graduation. Clifford has always had an interest in flying and plans to go to the University of Oklahoma to pursue this dream. Clifford will major in aviation and will then complete five years of service in the Air Force to become a professional pilot.
Clifford will complete a military program called Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). This program offers incoming freshmen the opportunity to attend tuition-free in exchange for completing a certain amount of years of military service. Clifford will be in the ROTC program.
“I’m doing the ROTC program at the University of Oklahoma,” Clifford said. “I have at least a five-year commitment. It would be a dream to fly for the Air Force after I graduate though.”
Clifford’s passion for flying has been apparent since her childhood, but the ROTC program has made this dream more accessible for her. Majoring in aviation is more expensive compared to most other majors; it costs $108,995 USD on top of tuition for majoring in aviation, according to the ATP Flight School. This situation can be more financially attainable for its students by using ROTC which covers, all expenses, such as tuition, board, and meals.
“No matter what the situation is for a four-year major, aviation is the most expensive major out there because there’s going to be about $100,000 on top of your regular tuition just for flight fuel instructors,” Clifford said. “But it’s something I’m passionate about and I know I want to pursue it so I’m finding a way to make it work for me.”
Clifford believes that if you are passionate about something it is best to pursue it, no matter how difficult it may be to achieve. Rose Weismann, Literacy Center Coordinator, helped Clifford write one of her college admissions essay on this topic.
“I have read 1000s of college application essays in my 11 years here, and I don’t think I have ever read any essays that impacted me as much as the ones that I read from her,” Weismann said. “I felt like she had a completely different angle than most of the essays that I’ve ever read.”
Weismann didn’t not only learn Clifford’s writing style, she also learnt Clifford’s dreams. During the college admissions process, Weismann gained a better understanding of Clifford’s goals, ambitions and motivations.
“Lilly’s future looks unstoppable. […] I feel like many of our students here are predisposed to being successful,” Weismann said. “That’s the expectation [for those predisposed], but I feel like the fact that she wasn’t raised in that kind of environment made her even more motivated to find success on her own.”
In the future, Clifford thinks she will be able to adapt to the environment and the lifestyle of the military. She has been communicating with officers to get a better understanding of the program and the struggles it comes with.
“It’s very different from anything that I’ve experienced before in my life [and], it’s definitely going to take a while to get used to [the military lifestyle],” Clifford said. “I’ve been talking to people even in the National Guard, which is a completely different thing from the [ROTC] captain’s at Oklahoma. [The Oklahoma ROTC] seems like a very welcoming environment, but it definitely is going to be stressful.”
Even with tough environments and complicated scholarships, Clifford believes this is the right choice for her to be able to accomplish her childhood dream of being a pilot. Above all, Clifford believes in following your dreams and aspirations to be truly happy in the career path you chose and be successful in your field, whatever your ambitions may be.
“I think the most important thing is just to follow your passions,” Clifford said. “[Do] what you want to do because that’s the only way you’re going to be happy.”