The Laconia Citizen Newspaper May 28, 2009

High-flying ambition takes student to Air Force Acad.
Franklin:

By KATIE AHERN
kahern@citizen.com


Thursday, May 28, 2009


Courtesy Photo CALLEY



Britany Calley is a graduating senior at Franklin High School. Some of her classmates are moving on to college and some are not, but Calley will be moving on to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado next year on a $400,000 scholarship.

Her mother, Robin Brit, said that instead of wanting to grow up to become a veterinarian or a writer like a lot of young girls do, Calley always dreamed of growing up to become a combat pilot. Brit said her daughter liked the idea of it and the adrenaline rush it gave her.

Calley said it comes from doing gymnastics. "I love the feeling of flying ... I thought I'd take it to the next level."

Not only is Calley an honors student, but she has won regional and state championships for gymnastics many times in both New Hampshire and Florida and at one point she was practicing and competing 30 hours a week.

Calley was invited to join the National Honor Society, but her mother said she just didn't have time for it.

Brit spent an entire year driving Calley and her sister every single day to a gymnastics academy in Portsmouth when the family was living in Hill, not to mention competitions.

Calley has always been very passionate about gymnastics. She started when she was four years old and began competing when she was seven. She said her parents have always been very supportive of her sport and that at one point her dad pushed her to continue.

If it weren't for that, Calley said she might never have gotten into the Air Force Academy. The academy seeks out and recruits athletes and Calley turned out to be just what it wanted.

Calley is passionate, driven, smart and kind. She works hard, plays hard and has many friends. Brit said her daughter is "a good role model... She's just a good kid."

"From the day she won her first gold medal, she never wanted to settle for the silver," Brit said of Calley.

That proves true in going to college too. Calley was recruited to many colleges and universities across the country and accepted to both the University of New Hampshire and the University of Central Florida, but turned them both down because, "None of them really interested me as much as the Air Force."

It was a tough process to get into the academy. Brit said that Calley had to write many essays and letters and get nominated by then U.S. Sen. John Sununu. At the academy her only expense will be for books.

Calley said she is very close with her family, her sister and father in Franklin and her mother in Florida. She applied to UNH and UCF to be close to them, but her passion and desire to fly trumped her desire to stay close to home.

"There's more opportunities for me," she said of choosing the Air Force Academy. "The opportunity to fly was a major deciding point."

Calley has already visited the campus twice and has already made some friends. She said she is a little nervous, especially to take classes in science, math, and engineering, but she said she thinks she will be fine.

"I think I'm more excited than nervous," she said.