Former Liberty grad flying high in USAF

For The Madera Tribune

Liberty graduate Skylar Hartley holds a falcon as a member of the United States Air Force Academy’s coveted Falconry Program. The program has only 12 members and four every year are chosen for the program.

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Four years ago, Skylar Hartley marched across the Liberty High School stage as one of its valedictorians and entry into the United States Air Force Academy.

Now, Hartley’s four-year college career could be defined by lyrics in Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway.”

“I’ll spread my wings and learn how to fly. I’ll do what it takes ’till I touch the sky. And I’ll make a wish, take a chance, make a change and break away.”

Hartley officially graduates this week, and will now take some time before beginning the next chapter.

“The days are really long, but the weeks and months go by super fast, especially this year,” she said. “It’s crazy to be four years out of high school. I still feel a little sheltered. USAFA feels like a glorified high school because the schedule they demand of you and the timeliness of everything. The years have flown by.”

Like the lyrics said, Hartley spread her wings and felt like she needed to head away, and is happy with the decision to go to the Air Force Academy.

“I got to spread my wings,” she said. “I love the Ranchos, and it’s really sheltered. I feel if I had gone to Fresno State, it would have limited my potential and capabilities. Going to college outside of state is really beneficial to your personal development.”

She also helped others spread their wings as a member of the coveted USAFA Falconry Program. Only 12 cadets care, train and display the Academy’s live falcon mascots at events around the country.

“It’s the oldest club USAFA has,” Hartley said. “They only take about four members a year out of 1,000 in the class. I saw them at Blue Rush, which is kind of club rush at the end of basic training. I like animals and this seemed cool. I wasn’t sure if I would make the team. I was able to hold a falcon, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

She joined the club in her freshman year, and has been with the club until this year.

“One of my favorite experiences was going to Orlando over Spring Break,” she said. “That was to support a women in aviation conference. We were able to see all of these women that had an impact in aviation. Even though I wasn’t a pilot, it was nice to see the USAFA grads that were there. There were a lot of military personnel and civilians.”

She also got the opportunity to go to the Naval Academy for a football game with the program.

“That was a good opportunity to go to another service academy. We lost, though,” she said. “I’m really grateful for the falconry team. It’s given me some of my closest friends. It’s given me opportunities to develop myself and my skills.”

Hartley will graduate with a degree in geospatial science after changing her major from political science.

“I had a lot of opportunities with geo. It seemed a lot more interesting to me,” she said. “It encompasses three parts — physical geography, human geography and spacial geography. It’s remote sensing and working with satellites. I really enjoyed that.”

She will graduate to a force support officer as a second lieutenant.

“A force support officer has a vast amount of programs,” Hartley said. “Anywhere from youth programs up to mortuary affairs. It’s a wide and encompassing job. My main job would be people and supporting people in Hurlburt Field in Florida.

“Because I’m not a rated career, I only owe five years,” she said. “If someone wanted to be a pilot, they would owe 10 years. It’s because of the training they put into you as a pilot.”

Once Hartley is done with graduation ceremonies this week, she will get 60 days of paid leave until July 27.

“I’ll start getting my second lieutenant checks, which is really nice,” she said. “Some people plan extravagant trips. I planned trips with my family and friends. I’m going to Prague, do a cruise in Europe, and go to Japan in July.”

Hartley will head home to the Ranchos to see some friends and family. However, her parents purchased a home in Monument, Colorado, which is close to the USAFA in Colorado Springs.

“I love home,” she said. “I only see a handful of my friends. My parents come and visit quite frequently. It’s mainly my family I don’t get to see as much. I am blessed to have my parents out here a lot.”

Hartley recommends looking into the military programs for those who are interested. There are also other courses one can take other than the academy way.

“I tell kids you might as well try. There are opportunities in ROTC in colleges,” she said. “They are able to commission as a second lieutenant while getting the freedom of a normal civilian college. Academy life is super hard. It’s really difficult and it drains you. It’s rewarding when you finish. You put in so much hard work for it. If you live your life with regrets, it’s worse than failing to try.”

Now, after three-plus years of hard and intense work, Hartley is looking forward to graduating, and tried to enjoy her senior year.

“I cruised as much as they let me cruise my senior year. I had 15 credit hours at the school, which is the minimum. I had a light semester. I didn’t have any finals,” she said. “My freshman year was pretty tough. There’s a lot of change that happens in the military. Typically, the freshman year is the hardest. My junior year was a struggle. I had to re-frame my thinking, and have a more positive note about it.”

Despite the obstacles, Hartley is ready for the new chapter and is happy with the decision she made to spread her wings to Colorado Springs.

“I would do this 10 times over. This was the best opportunity,” she said.