Academy Class of 2010 boasts record numbers of women, minority cadets

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  The 1,352 members of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Class of 2010 arrived Tuesday, June 27, to in-process and begin basic cadet training here.

Overall, the Academy received 9,255 applications for admission into the class, with more than 1,700 being offered appointments. As of June 26, 1,352 had accepted appointments, including 1,075 men and 277 women. Forty-eight appointees are prior-Air Force enlisted members.

The Class of 2010 boasts the largest number of women entering basic cadet training in academy history. Of the 277, 72 women represent minority groups and two are international students. At 20.5 percent, this is also the largest percentage of women in any academy class.

Minority appointees, 317 new cadets, make up 23.8 percent of the class. In terms of raw numbers and percentages, this is the largest number of minority cadets of any previous class.

These minority cadets include 125 Asian-Americans (94 men, 31 women); and 34 Native Americans (27 men, 7 women). Asian-Americans at 9.4 percent and Native Americans at 2.6 percent are both at record levels in raw numbers and percentages of the class. The minority population of the Class of 2010 also includes 99 Hispanics (75 men, 24 women), for 7.4 percent; and 59 African-Americans (49 men, 10 women) at 4.4 percent of the class.

The 19 international cadets entering with the Class of 2010 are from Algeria, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, Korea, Singapore, Suriname, Sri Lanka, Romania, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago and Tunisia. Also included are the Academy's first-ever cadets from Iraq, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Madagascar and Belize.

Approximately 633 in the new class have met the potential medical qualifications to attend flight school.

The high school grade point average for the Class of 2010 is 3.86. College entrance score averages are: SAT Critical Reading: 630; SAT Math: 662; ACT English: 28; ACT Math: 29.

Some of these numbers likely will change between now and in-processing day.

In-processing is a one-day event that includes medical processing, haircuts, clothing and equipment issue, and squadron and dormitory room assignments. It also marks the start of 38 days of basic cadet training and is designed to prepare the basic cadets for entry into the cadet wing. During the first 22 days, most of the basic training is conducted within the cadet area. On July 21, trainees march to Jack's Valley for field training.