Aiming High! Student pursues higher education at U.S. Air Force Academy

HUNTSVILLE, AL, UNITED STATES

11.30.2018

Story by David San Miguel 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville

By David San Miguel
U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville

Whether on the volleyball court rallying the Lady Panthers to victory or tutoring underprivileged elementary students, Annie Dunford’s focus and fierce competitiveness didn’t go unnoticed.
The Huntsville High School senior aimed high, and her dedicated years of hard work and study destines her to join the rank-and-file at the U.S. Air Force Academy following graduation, May 25.
“The best way to describe the moment is surreal,” Dunford said upon hearing of her selection. “I couldn’t believe it was happening. To think everything I had worked for, for so long, had been something meaningful is the best feeling in the world.”
She recalled the moment she learned of her acceptance.
“It was as normal a day as any other. I was eating lunch with my friends when I got a call from Washington,” Dunford said. “My dad was working in D.C. at the time so I thought it might be him, but when I answered, a representative from Sen. Doug Jones office said, ‘We are extending you a full appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.’
“It was crazy,” she said. “My legs gave out a little and I lost my breath.”
Once Dunford regained her composure, she immediately relayed the news to her father, Russ Dunford, a retired Army lieutenant colonel now employed with the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville.
He attributed his daughter’s acceptance to her compassion to serve as well as her untiring, hard work ethics.
“Annie is driven and has a moral compass,” he said. “As team captain of the volleyball team, I can’t tell you how many parents came up to me on their own accord and said what a great leader and mentor Annie was … in her mannerism, her team building, and her professionalism on and off the court.”
He elaborated.
“The Huntsville team was a young team, mostly sophomores, but Annie pulled them up and the team beat teams that were senior in talent, age and height, never with bravado, but with drive and determination,” he said.
That drive, coupled with a burning desire to be part of something meaningful, motivated Annie and her fellow junior class leaders to forge a project to benefit the community and help them bond as a class as well.
As part of their class project, the team decided on tutoring students at Sonnie Hereford Elementary where according to the school’s website, 97 percent of its students qualify for free and reduced lunches.
Factors that the Education Week Research Center reports, reflect “relatively high rates of children and parents living in poverty, limited opportunities for early learning, and struggles with producing strong academic outcomes.”
This “worthwhile cause” was approved by the principal and the student leaders reached out to recruit some 80 volunteers.
The volunteer tutors immediately set their plan into motion and reported Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 until 5 p.m., alternating reading and math.
“I specifically worked with 3rd and 4th graders, two or three students at a time,” Dunford said. “We’d do flashcards, worksheets and other interactive games to help advance their learning.
“The kids I work with were often below average for their age, so basic reading and math would often be a struggle,” she said. “I would talk them through the process and break it down into sections. It would sometimes take a while for them to understand, but when it finally clicked and they’d look up at you with the biggest smile on their faces, it made the whole process worth it. It made me so happy to think that what I was doing was making an impact.”
Dunford adds it’s a relationship that has flourished.
“The tutoring experience was meant to benefit the students, and while it did, I strongly believe it affected me equally,” she said. “I built relationships with kids that I would have never known before and they helped me gain a new perspective on life. Consequently, I became more grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. It is my hope that I’ve left a positive mark on each of those students’ lives because I know for a fact that they have done so in my life.”
Her father said it’s the greatest feeling in the world to see your child grow up and do the right thing.
“Annie sees the greatest success in helping others do what they thought they couldn’t,” he said. “She values, ‘Team Play,’ and this, in my opinion is why the academy was attractive to her.”
Annie adds that the decision to pursue an appointment was largely inspired by her dad’s service to the nation.
“I have always wanted to be part of something bigger than myself, and what better way to do that than to serve this great nation,” Annie said. “I spent much of my childhood watching my father serve this country both at home and abroad. I learned to respect the military and all that the U.S. stands for at a very young age, and it will stay with me forever.”
“Yes, I am a ‘proud dad,’ so throw me a bone,” Dunford admits. “We are ‘All In’ … but I get to claim ‘joint duty credit.’ We have the Army, the Air Force and now the Navy covered for ‘team participation.’ Abby, the youngest, was recently notified that she was selected for the U.S. Naval Academy STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Program.”

• Date Taken: 11.30.2018
• Date Posted: 12.13.2018 16:29
• Story ID: 301812
• Location: HUNTSVILLE, AL, US