Arkansas Air National Guard Lt. Col. Kenda Garrett
The University of Central Arkansas Aviation Academy welcomed eight cadets to campus through a new flight training program with the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) that kicked off Friday, June 6.
This is UCA’s first year to participate in the AFJROTC program.
The campus welcomed Arkansas Air National Guard Lt. Col. Kenda Garrett, 189th Operations Support Squadron commander, as the speaker for the occasion who welcomed the cadets to Arkansas and also spoke about the aviation industry.
“I’m glad that people get to be a part of this. The other part of that too is making aviation accessible to more people is absolutely crucial to the future of not just military flying, but civilian flying and the industry in and of itself. So being able to have a program like this that at least will give you exposure,” Garrett said. “And that’s a huge step in the direction to combatting pilot shortages and having a vital, vibrant aviation industry going forward.”
Through this program, AFJROTC cadets are competitively selected to attend a summer aviation program at an accredited university. This program is approximately 8 weeks long and cadets can earn their Private Pilot’s License while receiving college credit. The program began in 2018 and has grown significantly since its inception.
Brad Teague
“We are proud to be selected as a host university for the Air Force Flight Training Program. We are one of 15 supporting over 200 cadets. We intend for this to be an annual program for the UCA Aviation Academy. It further enhances our brand and opportunities for flight training,” said Brad Teague, UCA Aviation Academy director.
Air Force Junior ROTC is a Title 10 U.S. Code mandated citizenship training program that is designed to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship, promote community service, instill personal responsibility, character, and self-discipline. The program achieves this through classroom education in air and space fundamentals and hands on learning opportunities in a number of fun and challenging co-curricular activities.
Cadets who choose to continue their education may receive special consideration for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) scholarships. Many of these scholarships will pay for two, three, or four years of tuition, books and fees at numerous universities and colleges and allow cadets to pursue studies in various technical and non-technical majors.
Garrett oversees a squadron of more than 50 personnel who provide aviation resource management operations, aircrew flight equipment, airfield management operations, intel, tactics, training, current operations, and the Enlisted Aircrew Academic School for flight engineers and loadmasters.She is a 2002 graduate of the Air Force Academy, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering. After graduation, she started her active-duty career in undergraduate navigator training and undergraduate pilot training, reaching her first permanent duty station in 2005 in Alaska. She arrived at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., in 2008 as a C-130 aircraft commander and instructor. She joined the Arkansas Air National Guard in 2014, teaching in the C-130 instructor school. In 2018, she was selected as the chief of standardizations and evaluations. She assumed command of the squadron in 2020.
