(By Raymond Howard, cadet candidate at the United States Air Force Academy, and a proud native son of Louisiana)
This July 4th will be my second as a cadet candidate at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
It’s been a long road from the West Bank of New Orleans to one of America’s elite military academies – but I didn’t make this journey alone. I’m the product of daily, quiet sacrifices from my parents, teachers, and mentors who believed in me before I fully believed in myself.
I grew up in a tight-knit West Bank community of South Louisiana where opportunity can be scarce and public schools struggle. When Hurricane Katrina hit and my mom found out she was pregnant, my father dropped out of college to provide for us. My parents worked extra hours and leaned on faith, family, and neighbors to give me a shot at a better future.
Luckily, we were given a lifeline.
In 8th grade, I received a partial private scholarship from ACE Scholarships, a non-profit that serves lower-income students. With their help, I was able to attend Archbishop Shaw High School. That single opportunity changed everything.
My time at Shaw was filled with growth: I pushed myself in the classroom, gave it all on the football field and on the wrestling mat, and served as a leader in student government and the National Honor Society.
But what I gained the most wasn’t on paper.
Shaw was a school where faith wasn’t just preached, it was practiced. I was surrounded by peers who pushed me to be better and mentors who led by example. Some of the most impactful role models were upperclassman who showed me what it meant to lead with humility, faith, and purpose.
What I learned there was simple but powerful: what you put in is what you get out. I worked hard, and I was shaped not just into a better student or athlete, but into a person of character and conviction – someone ready to serve.
In my community, success is never a solo journey. It takes family. It takes sacrifice. And it takes faith in something greater than yourself.
When it came time to choose a college, I was accepted into 23 schools – from Ivy Leagues to military academies. In the end, I chose service over status and decided to attend the Air Force Academy because of my deep sense of duty and patriotism. I believe in giving back to the nation that has provided me with so much, and the Academy’s rigorous environment aligns with my commitment to service, academic excellence, and athletic discipline. I believe when America invests in you, you owe something in return.
Today, I’m preparing to serve a nation that kept its promise to me – the promise that hard work and character still matter, that the American Dream still lives.
But that promise is fragile.
We saw it in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, when millions of kids – especially in lower-income and minority communities – fell behind. Test scores plummeted. Absenteeism soared. The gaps in opportunity grew wider. While national statistics paint a bleak picture, Louisiana has been doing something right by offering families access to multiple different school choice programs.
This year’s National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) showed Louisiana outpacing the nation in growth and achievement, soaring in math and reading. Our state rose from being ranked 42nd to 16th in the nation for reading. We even defied odds and improved in math, moving from 44th to 38th.
What is happening in my state is working, and the results are speaking for themselves. But we can’t stop just yet – not when so many states still lack choice programs.
Having a choice in your education should not be a luxury. It’s a matter of freedom – the freedom to learn in an environment that challenges you, inspires you, and prepares you to lead. That’s what ACE Scholarships and Archbishop Shaw gave me. It’s encouraging to see more and more leaders at the state and national levels prioritizing policies that promote educational opportunity, including the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), which would help expand choice in all 50 states.
For nearly 250 years, America has made a promise: that anyone, from anywhere, can rise. My story is only possible because that promise was kept. I’m committed to giving back to the nation and the community that raised me.
If we want to keep the American Dream alive, we need to give every child the same chance I had. Because when you change education, you change everything. I’m living proof.
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force Academy, the Department of the Air Force, or the Department of Defense.
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