This Maine High School Senior is a Better Human and More Skilled Than All of Us

Talk about making us all look bad.

But seriously. With the constant amount of times older generations mention how “the future of the country/world is screwed” when stories like kids eating tide pods or marinating chicken in NyQuil comes out –

A Maine high school senior is at least giving us some hope.

Lake Region High School

If you live in Naples, Maine, have a child that goes to Lake Region High School, or especially if you’re a student there yourself, then you may know Zachary Vogel as a normal, 18-year-old high school senior. You may also know that he’s not just a normal high school senior.

Because Zachary – even those he’s only in high school still – is already a member of the Civil Air Patrol.

Civil Air Patrol in Maine

Already ranked as a Cadet Master Sergeant, Zachary – or should we say, Cadet Vogel – is a member of the 77^th Composite Squadron with the Civil Air Patrol and is based at the Auburn/Lewiston airport. On top of that, he just became of only a few hundred Civil Air Patrol cadets nationwide to receive his FAA Private Pilot’s Certificate.

What were you doing at 18? Playing your last year of high school sports? Trying to score a prom date? Fighting with your parents or siblings over having the car for a night out?

Zachary can already fly a damn plane. FOR THE CIVIL AIR PATROL.

As if that isn’t impressive enough and doesn’t already lap most of us grown adults with life skills as it is, Cadet Vogel still has plenty of plans lined up for the future. His father is also a pilot, so his next goal is to fly as a safety pilot with his father, who is a private pilot working toward getting his commercial license.

After that? His goal is to crush college and then either begin a career in the military or follow in his father’s footsteps and become an airline pilot.

Meanwhile, I’m out here just hoping to win a round of Halo when my friends and I hop on for our weekly gaming session. I suddenly feel like one pathetic loser compared to Cadet Vogel…

In all seriousness, if your child(ren) is interested in getting up in the air, or if you’re a child yourself and want to follow in Zachary’s footsteps, the Civil Air Patrol is always willing to help make it happen.