By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
Sam King was just a child when he was singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” before an Air Force football game as his dad flew over in a fighter jet.
It was at that moment the 2025 Clarkston High School graduate was inspired and knew what he wanted to do when he grew up..
His dream was to be on the United States Air Force. The dream was achieved when he received his appointment for the Air Force Academy before graduating from CHS.
“I am just so grateful,” he said. “This has been my dream ever since I was a little kid. My dad was in the Air Force. He went to the academy. I think the time I really knew I wanted to go there was around when I was seven or eight-years-old. My dad got to do a fly over at an Air Force football game.”
King shared it was inspiring, and he did what he could in school to help him achieve his dream.
“The moment I realized this is real is when I did a tour last summer,” he added. “I was like if I do the right things this could be me next year. Then, I was able to go out a few months ago and was like I am now accepted this is me in 2-3 months. It was a really cool feeling. The best way I can describe it is Christmas came early. I have been looking forward to this for so long.”
King added there were three big things he did to prepare himself as well as help him stand out – athletics, leadership and academics.
For athletics, he was on the boys cross country and track and field teams.
“I worked my way up and was able to be captain of my cross country team which was a really great experience,” King said. “To get that recognition was a really cool feeling for me because I love those guys and I love that team. I have always been a mentor. I wasn’t always the best runner or the fastest, but my impact to my team was a lot more significant. Honestly, it was more significant as an older brother either helping or leading these kids.”

He also took German for five years and explained he loves the language. To further his love, he connected with foreign exchange students and he was president of the German Club during his senior year.
“I felt like it showed my engagement on a different level because everybody takes a language in high school,” King shared. “I just really loved it. It’s a big part of who I am.”
He also volunteered and was a member of the National Honor Society.
For academics, when he reached high school he took Advanced Placement classes, which he shared he did well in.
King shared he earned his pilot’s license last summer which he believes helped during the application process.
“When I got to fly, it was a really cool experience I was able to bring that into all my essays and I thought that brought in some depth,” he said.
He added he did everything he could to be unique and also things he enjoyed doing.
When he went to nominations and was asked questions like what do you think about life in the Air Force and how he wanted to serve his country, he shared he thought he gave good replies because he had experience.
“The advantage of my dad being in the Air Force was very indirect but it definitely helped because I understood it,” King shared.
He talked to interviewers from the academy as well as Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Gary Peters and Congresswoman Lisa McClain.
“I got to talk to all of their staff. I was able to explain I was an Air Force kid – I get it. I know what I am getting into and this is what I really want to do,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling. This is the way I want to raise my kids.”
King shared what also helped was through the essays he wrote and the interviews, he knew what he wanted to do.
“You have to convince them that you should send me to the Air Force Academy,” he explained. “You have to know yourself you really want to do this because you won’t be able to convince them they should send you if you aren’t even sure you want to. I definitely knew for sure I wanted to.”
He received his congressional nominations from Stabenow and McClain.
King shared his parents, Susan and Ron, family and friends have been amazing and supportive.
“I appreciate my dad because he served our country and he inspired me,” he said.
King shared he is grateful for Clarkston Community Schools.
“I came here when I was in fifth grade and I was behind academically,” he added. “Clarkston has so many opportunities with their AP classes, athletics, extracurricular, I felt like it set me up really well which I am grateful for because there are a lot of people come from smaller schools who go to there. I feel like I am ready to rock.”
He added he took four AP college classes which he feels will make the transition smoother for his fall classes.
Sam shared he is grateful to his cross country coach, Larry Adams, and track coach, Kevin Breen.
“They helped me from a scrawny little freshman to someone who is going to go serve his country now which is pretty cool,” he said.
He added he would like to see more in the service academies.
“I would like to start working with the school,” he said. “It’s such a niche opportunity where 3,000 kids are going to service academies this year throughout the country. I would love to start connecting. I would love for more Clarkston kids to be in the academy. I think they are all suited for it. Clarkston is competitive academically and athletically, if more kids were aware they would go. I can think of a bunch of my friends who would be suited for it, and they only knew about it because of me. I was lucky I knew about it. If my dad wasn’t in the military who knows if I would be doing this.”
He left for the USAFA for training this week and joins CHS graduate Bedford Muzzy who just finished his first year.
Sam starts his academic year in August.
“Of course I am nervous, I can’t deny that, but I am super excited,” he said. “I feel like I am ready to go.”
He shared he didn’t know what he wanted to focus his studies on but was leaning towards military strategic studies or engineering
“I am a math and science guy,” he said. “It depends on how I like the classes my freshman year.”