Levi Dginguerian, 16, of Canyon Country, has earned the prestigious Billy Mitchell Award through the Civil Air Patrol, a distinction achieved by less than 15% of all Civil Air Patrol cadets nationwide.

The award recognizes Dginguerian’s leadership, aerospace knowledge, physical fitness and unwavering commitment to the program’s core values of integrity, volunteer service, excellence and respect. It is a significant milestone that marks the transition from a non-commissioned officer to a cadet officer in in the Civil Air Patrol’s cadet program.

Dginguerian has set his sights on attending the United States Air Force Academy and ultimately becoming an F-35 fighter pilot serving his country.

He attends the Christa McAuliffe Academy School or Arts and Sciences, an online high school focused on STEM and Art. The school, established for 15 years, is named for McAuliffe, a teacher and astronaut from Concord, N.H. who died on the Space Shuttle Challenger in January, 1986, where she was serving as a payload specialist. She had been selected from 11,000 applicants for the NASA Teacher in Space Project and was scheduled to become the first teacher to fly in space.

Dginguerian is currently pursuing his glider pilot license and is also taking college courses as a freshman.

He is in the National Honor Society in the top 1% and has started an Aviation Club at his school.

The Civil Air Patrol is a congressionally chartered, federally funded, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation and serves as the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Founded Dec. 1, 1941, to mobilize the nation’s civilian aviation resources for national defense service, it has evolved into a public service organization that is a cost-effective force multiplier for Air Force-assigned missions.

It operates in all 50 states, Puerto Rico (including the U.S. Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia and in more than 1,400 communities.

The Civil Air Patrol’s character and leadership programs for cadets and aerospace education programs for K-12 provide a variety of innovative youth development initiatives and award-winning aviation/STEM resources.

For more information visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.