Undergraduate ROTC Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering Major – Class of 2022
Both of Jake's parents served in the Navy, but with his mother getting out before he was born, and his father retiring when he was still fairly young, neither he nor his two sisters grew up with the military at the front of their minds. References to the military never went beyond his father's occasional reminder to "aviate, navigate, then communicate" as he was learning to drive. In fact, it was only after Jake's high school physics teacher and a friend from the graduating class before him set his sights on Notre Dame that he zeroed in on aviation and the Air Force as a career goal. After getting accepted to Notre Dame, he enrolled in an Air Force ROTC class and has never looked back. Jake earned an In-College Scholarship from AFROTC, and is incredibly grateful for the opportunity both to attend such a great school, and for the opportunities AFROTC Detachment 225 has offered to him and others seeking to join the world's greatest air force.
Being in AFROTC at Notre Dame has opened the door for many extraordinary experiences. Jake has participated in incentive rides in civilian aircraft, as well as in the T-6 and KC-135. He was given the opportunity to learn Chinese in Taiwan as part of AFROTC's Project Global Officer. In the fall of his junior year, he participated in AFROTC's U.S. Air Force Academy Exchange program, where he forged close connections with cadets from around the nation, participating in the Academy Cadet Wing as an Element Leader, flew gliders, and even earned his Basic Parachutist Badge after executing 5 free-fall jumps. Jake was also the vice commander for Detachment 225's annual AFROTC-wide basketball tournament, and has most recently served as a flight trainer, preparing underclassmen cadets for Field Training, AFROTC's signature training event.
Jake is studying Electrical and Computer Engineering, and loves tinkering with computer programs and electronics in his spare time. He is also participating in research with the Notre Dame Wireless Institute. He is a resident of Sorin College and loves the community and friends he has found there. Jake hopes to earn a pilot training slot and is eager to be off in the Wild Blue Yonder, flying whatever the Air Force lets him.