Beatriz Holzbach’s personalized learning program at Holzbach Homeschool Academy did more than prepare her academically. As a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), she also developed valuable leadership skills. This resulted in the United States Air Force offering her a full-tuition college scholarship in exchange for her commitment to serve in the Air Force.
This year, Bea is completing her degree from Carnegie Mellon, a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She already knows who she’ll be working for once she graduates!
Early Years
Beatriz went to a traditional school at first, but then her father began homeschooling Bea and her three younger sisters when she was in 3rd grade. She quickly took to her Saxon Math textbooks and developed a passion for the subject.
When she was almost 12, Bea was already thinking about what she wanted to be when she grew up. She researched occupations online and found a job description for pilots. She thought that would be “pretty cool.” The advertisements she saw for serving in the Air Force added to the allure.
When she was in 8th grade, Bea’s family temporarily moved to Lisbon, Portugal, where she went to a traditional school and developed fluency in Portuguese. When the family returned to the Boston area a year later, she resumed homeschooling.
High School
Academically, Bea focused on math and science. She supplemented her studies with Harvard University extension courses in chemistry, physics, computing, probability, and public speaking. Her extracurricular activities included competing in cross country and track for Winthrop High, the local public school.
Bea also participated in extracurriculars that helped prove her value as a potential military officer. In 9th grade, she joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), which is the civilian auxiliary to the United States Air Force and features a well-developed cadet program.
Later, she served as cadet commander, which involved representing her local unit to adults, as well as drilling cadets, planning meetings, and delegating tasks. She especially enjoyed participating in CAP summer boot camp, both as a participant and a trainer.
During the summers, Bea enrolled in weeklong training sessions and honed her physical fitness. She earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, attended a science and technology program at the US Naval Academy, and studied cyber defense at Fort Meade in Maryland.
Bea earned the General Billy Mitchell Award, which ranks among CAP’s higher honors. The distinguished award is given to Civil Air Patrol cadets who have demonstrated sustained excellence in all four areas of cadet life: leadership, aerospace, fitness, and character. To earn the award, cadets must complete the first eight achievements of the cadet program. Only 15% of Civil Air Patrol cadets achieve this award.
Recipients of the Billy Mitchell Award are eligible to attend Cadet Officer School and the Civic Leadership Academy, and may enter the Air Force at the grade of E-3. Bea also qualified for entry into the USAF Academy—which only accepts 12 percent of applicants—but she chose to join the USAF Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and undergo military training while studying at Carnegie Mellon.
College
As a freshman student at Carnegie Mellon, Bea joined the Women’s Track & Field team. She also joined the Activities Board Technical Committee, commonly known as AB Tech, and served as a crew member charged with handling the technical production of university-sponsored events.
As part of her degree program, Bea got to take part in designing improvements to the school hockey rink and safety gear in Carnegie Mellon’s fabrication lab, where they use various tools and materials to fashion and test hockey-related equipment.
Bea was initially going to major in physics, but she switched to civil engineering. She wanted to prepare for possible jobs in the military, and civil engineers are prized by the Air Force. She’s also interested in cyber intelligence and air traffic control—and hasn’t given up on her dream of becoming a pilot.
Ultimately, she knows she’ll find her place. “The reason I was okay going into the military is that, if I don’t know what to do, they’ll tell me,” she joked.
