Scarlett Dale

At the start of Year 12 I joined the Air Cadets and immediately found my calling. Through this I had amazing opportunities like flying a non-powered glider solo, volunteering at an airfield, cycling across Normandy in just 3 days, visiting RAF bases, completing a Level 2 BTEC in Teamwork and Personal Development, and completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh. More recently, I was nominated, along with 4000 other cadets across the UK, for the Cadet Vocational College Westminster Award Scheme - a national award among all cadet forces to find those who strongly represent what it is to be a cadet and who give back to their community. In April this year I got through to the semi-finals as one of the last 44 of this competition, where we were assessed through interviews, team building, problem solving and leadership skills. At this stage, I was fortunate enough to be given the chance to complete a Level 3 ILM qualification in Leadership and Management. After this, I got the email through a few weeks later telling me I'd got through to the finals as one of the last 12. This led me to go on a 10-day trip where we did some amazing activities like gorge walking, caving, surfing, velodrome cycling, wind surfing and more. All of this was topped with a lunch at the House of Lords to announce the winners and to present all the finalists with our Level 3 qualifications. It has all been an incredible experience for me and the people I've met along the way, and I am extremely sad now my cadet career will be ending soon but it has led me to where I am now, chasing my dream of becoming a pilot in the Royal Air Force. 

Scarlett Dale, class of 2024