Flying from home

***A story on A1 last week, “Flying from home,” incorrectly stated that Edison High School graduate Ian Ferguson was going to West Point in the fall. He is going to the Air Force Academy in Colorado.***

Just 13 days after Ian Ferguson tosses his graduation cap into the sky, he will take off on a plane to Colorado to begin his seven-week basic training course at West Point.

Ferguson, 18, will be the first in his family to enter the Air Force Academy, and will spend his summer “getting in shape” before school begins in August. While he was also accepted into both the Army and the Navy, the decision was an easy one.

“I wanted to fly,” he said.

The Air Force, Ferguson said, offers ample openings for fighter pilots, which is what Ferguson hopes to do with his life. None of Ferguson’s immediate family is involved in the military, although both his grandfathers were in the Navy.

Ferguson has no military training, but the lifelong Huntington Beach resident is up for the challenge.

Ferguson spent his high school years in a variety of activities, including four years in golf, a year in cross country and four years in Boy Scouts. As an Eagle Scout and senior patrol leader, Ferguson had his fair share of responsibility.

Looking back on the past four years, Ferguson described them as a “rewarding challenge,” and said he thinks the highlight will be graduation.

“It’ll be a culmination of everything,” he said.

Kathryn Watson

Editor’s Note

Huntington Beach’s public and private high schools are holding graduations this week and the next, and the class of 2009 is moving on — with plenty of stories to tell. In this issue, the Independent shines a spotlight on some of the most remarkable graduates in this year’s class. Turn to A6 for more student profiles.