I do not know how to honestly answer this question to the fullest extent, however I do know this:

I entered the Civil Air Patrol about a year ago and I already have my General Emergency Services (GES) certification, SET qualification, and I've taken every ES test that is available to CAP Cadets. I'm on a roll and I know that I want to become a Ground Team Leader. CAP has given me a goal. It's a way that I can help others and at the same time help myself. I am advancing my education and training to prepare myself to be of service to my community, state and nation.

The ES mission has opened up my life to service to others; I have always wanted to help others. The activities and people I work with in ES have taught me to the basics of helping people that truly need my help. I’ve learned that you can't worry about the bad things when you have a serious problem under your nose, such as an ES mission.

CAP opened up several hidden doors in my life. It helped me realize some of the hardest lessons that a teenager can learn: responsibility, leadership, honor and respect... I didn't learn because it was being shoved down my throat but because I wanted to learn, and I accepted the challenge of learning it.

Being a Cadet in the Civil Air Patrol has taught me that leadership can be a good thing when used in the right way. I’ve learned that "You can't be a leader if you don't learn to follow first". Leadership begins with followership. This is probably the hardest, but most important lesson that you ever learn. My first exposure to this concept was like a big slap in the face. Suddenly I was learning how to be a leader and not a dictator. If I had not joined CAP then I would not be the responsible person that I am today.

My role in CAP has taught me t0 help others as well as myself. In many ways the Civil Air Patrol has taught me to be the best that I can be.