First Sergeant Ben Foster, cadet in the Gainesville Composite Squadron and 11th grader from PK Yonge Developmental Research School, attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security in February, exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense in Washington D.C. He was selected through an academic partnership with George Mason University, and will receive college credit for attending the forum. While there, he personally met with top policymakers and experts in the fields of national security, intelligence and diplomacy, as well as toured D.C. landmarks, including Arlington National Cemetery and the United States Capital. "I enjoyed meeting our local congressman, Cliff Sterns at his Washington, DC office." said Foster.

The mission of the Forum on National Security is to identify and recognize the nation's most outstanding high school leaders and prepare them for a possible future career in public service. “While there representatives from the CIA, NSA, FBI, NCIS, Secret Service stressed leadership skills that we learn in the Civil Air Patrol.”

Foster plans to become a career military officer and pilot. He flew his first solo flight at age sixteen and now has more then sixty hours of flight time. The National Youth Leadership Forum is an educational organization established to help prepare extraordinary young people for their professional careers.