Most of the students’ attention is not on the schoolwork in front of them. Focusing on your future is something that everyone thinks about at some point in their life, especially during high school. A lot of that focus is on whether they are going to college or getting a job. Gracey Lenhart is especially affected by this as she thinks about her future in the Air Force a lot after high school.

The Air Force was established on September 18th, 1947, and has grown more and more year by year. With thirty thousand new recruits yearly, with the number of recruits going up every year. Gracey has known she wanted to go to the Air Force since her junior year in 2024. The constant thought of being by herself, without the family and friends she has been with her whole life, doing something completely new to her, gives her a very anxious feeling, which can be very detrimental, especially in high school when she already has so much more to worry about, like her home life, jobs, and sports.

“Almost all my time,” Gracey says about thinking of her future. “It takes up most of my headspace because I am scared but also excited, though mostly scared and stressed about being alone.”

“I would say that it’s like 80% fear, anxiety, and stress, and in the back of my mind I think will I be good enough for this career pathway?” Gracey explains that most of the time, when she is thinking about going to the Air Force, it is fear of failure and nerves behind these thoughts. 

Gracey knows the fear of her own future impacts her mental health. She often thinks about leaving behind her support system after high school, and worries about losing support from teachers and parents after high school. These negative thoughts can cause an identity crisis especially in high school when people are learning just who they are.

Gracey plans on joining the Air Force in the fall after her graduation from Mendocino High School in June 2026.