Florida Air Academy student Scott Ellis was recently appointed to the United States Air Force Academy class of 2011. The 17-year old received a congressional nomination to attend the school.

Ellis learned in November that his longtime goal was coming true. He reports to the school in June.

"It was exciting," he said. "I was pumped."

Ellis has envisioned himself attending the academy since the sixth grade. Over the past few years, the teen has been involved with several clubs, including Civil Air Patrol and the Boy Scouts, which helped him become a prime candidate to attend the academy. His GPA has been a solid 4.0 since seventh grade, so the stiff academic requirements and rigorous schedule of the academy were not a deterrent to him, Ellis' mother Sheryl said.

"He's one of those kids that decided he had a goal," she said. "He's always challenging himself, that's what keeps him going."

Ellis attended a summer program at the academy to get a feel for what cadet life is like.

However, he gleaned most of his information right in his own home from his father, Lt. Col. Dave Ellis, an academy graduate and career officer.

"I'm real proud, but I'm 100 percent sure that it's his goal (to attend the school)," Dave Ellis said. "I told him war stories. He knows it's no picnic. You sacrifice a lot of personal freedom, particularly the first year. It's quite different than a civilian university."

"I know what to expect, so I'm not worried," Ellis said. "It's going to be tough, but I don't think it will be too tough."

The academy, located in Colorado Springs, graduated its first class of 207 in 1959, and since has had more than 37,000 cadets graduated in 46 classes. Cadets face a more intense course load many colleges [sic]. The core curriculum consists of 94 semester hours of basic sciences and engineering sciences as well as social sciences and humanities on the other. Cadets are not charged tuition for their attendance at the college and they each receive a base pay of about $800 per month to assist them with additional expenses.

"All of my friends are going off to party schools," Ellis said, smiling.

But this has been his dream school "ever since he can remember."