During his four years at Socastee, senior Aiden Wolfrey has done it all. At times, he could be found putting on the green as a member of the golf team, performing on stage as Larry the Lobster and Gary in the musical, dancing as one of the Socastee Singers, or marching and leading with the JROTC program. His extracurricular involvement, combined with strong grades and dedication to become a pilot, are what earned him a full-ride scholarship to Embry-Riddle University.
“He [participates] in sports. He is a part of the Junior ROTC program here, always assisting others in the school [while] being a part of the community,” JROTC Colonel Juan Silva said. “This made him to be a good fit to receive the four year scholarship by the Air Force.”
Embry-Riddle University is an aeronautical and aerospace school located in Daytona Beach, Florida. There, students train to be pilots, learning aeronautical engineering and aerospace science, Col. Silva said.
Aiden competed nationally against 100,000 cadets for the Embry-Riddle scholarship, which was given out to the top 1 percent of those who applied.He is the Senior Corps Advisor in the Junior ROTC program, which he has been a part of since his freshman year.
Aiden said he decided to join to serve.
“JROTC [has many] community service and career opportunities, and I always look for ways to give back to my community and provide a service for others,” Aiden said.
Senior John-Paul Hensley, who has known Aiden since freshman year, said he is an inspiration for others.
“Aiden is a leader because he motivates everyone to work harder,” he said. “Aiden [also] tries to be a good role model and sets standards for everyone else.”
Aiden’s family and childhood inspired him to pursue a career in the Air Force. His father was a first responder to the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and his grandfather is the head of maintenance at the Hoover building in Washington D.C. He has also lived near military areas his whole life.
“Before moving to South Carolina, [my family and I] lived an hour outside of Quantico, a Marine Corps and FBI base in Virginia,” he said. “I now live ten minutes away from the Myrtle Beach International Airport, which used to be the Myrtle Beach Air Force.”
Aiden’s dream career is to become a pilot for the United States Air Force. He said regardless of if he earned the scholarship or not, he would still enlist in the military.
“I have always been surrounded by the military in some way, shape, or form,” he said. “Call it signs from the universe, but the United States Air Force is right where I want to be.”
