- July 1, 2026
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From the first time he flew a plane, Stephen Horn, a 2026 Windermere Preparatory School graduate, knew he wanted to pursue becoming a pilot as a career in the military.
He wanted the leadership opportunities that come with being a pilot, the chance to lead a team of other pilots and push himself to become better.
“It’s a very difficult path, very difficult career, but if I’m able to achieve it, then it’ll allow me to do amazing things in the future,” Horn said.
Despite the pressure of being the one in total control while there’s a lot at stake, being in the sky is freeing, Horn said.
“Everything’s in your own hands, so you have to trust yourself a lot to be able to make the right decisions in case anything goes wrong,” he said. “There’s so much happening at once, but even with all of the so many things to be thinking about, it’s pretty calming up there. I don’t know what it is about just being up in the air for me and being able to do that, but I just feel at home almost. All the things come to me with ease, just being able to multitask and make sure everything’s in order but also being able to enjoy it.”
As a sophomore in high school, Horn learned of the military academies when a friend of his was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy. It piqued his interest, and after conducting research, he realized it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Being able to become a pilot and serve his country? It was the perfect pair, he said.
His dream of being a pilot in the military is one step closer to becoming reality as he shipped off to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Wednesday, June 24.
Horn isn’t the first in his family to have a passion and dedication to becoming a pilot or serving in the military.
He grew up listening to stories his father told of his time serving from 1993 to 1999 in the U.S. Marines. His father talked about the bonds he forged with fellow Marines and the leadership opportunities presented to him. Horn admired how the military helped his father grow into the man he became.
“It all just made me really want to also pursue that — become the best version of myself that I can be through the way of the military,” Horn said. “It was really cool because it not only let me see a bit into what my dad’s past was but also gave me a little trajectory into what I might want to do in the future.”
Being able to see some of the accomplishments of those who have served in the military also was a driving factor to applying for a military academy.
Aviation also runs in the Horn family. Horn said his dad has his private pilot’s license, and both his sisters also are working toward their pilot’s licenses. Horn was following in their footsteps, but he stopped pursuing the license to dedicate time to his training for his military academy applications.
The road to the Naval Academy was not easy.
As a high school junior, he first had to receive a nomination from a representative or senator in U.S. Congress. After completing numerous essays and answering questions that were part of a lengthy preliminary application, he was interviewed three times. He also began training for the fitness test he knew he would have to pass if he received a nomination.
He received two nominations for the Air Force Academy and a nomination for the Naval Academy.
“From the time I had finished the interview and when I got the nomination, it felt like forever,” Horn said. “I was waiting, and there was suspense. I remember when I received my first nomination — it just felt great. It was a weight lifted off my shoulders, one less thing you have to worry about, and it made me feel good, because it gave me a little hope that I would be able to get into the actual academy itself.”
Then, it was time to work on the application to the Naval and Air Force academies.
Horn, a varsity football player and varsity lacrosse captain, decided not to play football his senior season to dedicate all the time he could to his training. The fitness test included a 1-mile run, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, shuttle run and a basketball throw.
Any chance he had, he was running as long as he could, fearing the 1-mile run would be what kept him from his dream.
When the fitness test came, he blew his scores out of the water, he said, far exceeding any stats he had from his training.
Although the beginning of his senior year was the most intensive academically, he had his eyes set on the military academy.
Nothing was going to stop him.
“I knew that this is really what I wanted, and if I did want the opportunity to attend and do great things, then I would have to really just buckle down and just conquer through all the workload,” he said. “It wasn’t really a question of if I could do it, because I knew I could. It was just how I was going to, and just knowing that my whole future is based upon that really helped me and motivated me to work through it day by day.”
The hard work paid off.
Horn was accepted not only to the Naval Academy but also the Air Force Academy.
He had a difficult decision to make.
Earning acceptance to both academies was a blessing, Horn said, but it made his decision harder.
Since he started the process to apply, he had his heart set on the Air Force Academy. It made sense for him with his dream of becoming a pilot.
When he arrived at the Naval Academy, though, his heart sang a different tune. He said seeing the legacy and traditions at the academy and witnessing the people and their mindset made him feel it was the place for him.
Much like football players picking the hat of the college or university they’re committing to, Horn and his family did the same for the academies.
He sat in front of his family with a Naval Academy and Air Force Academy hat on the table. He decided to joke around for a minute by pretending to choose the Air Force hat. He ultimately picked up the Naval Academy hat and put it on with pride, surprising his family.
Horn went off to participate in Plebe Summer Wednesday, June 24, excited to meet the people he’ll be working with for the next four years and potentially longer, as well as the growth he’ll see in himself.
Once he completes his four years at the Naval Academy, Horn said he will need to serve in the military for at least five years, and if he becomes a pilot, it’ll be a minimum 10-year commitment to the military.
He’ll have another difficult choice to make: Join the Navy or the Marines?
Follow in his father’s footsteps? Or set off on his own path?
Only time will tell.
“Knowing I’ve already accomplished (being accepted to the Naval Academy) is a great feeling, and there’s only more to come, so I know that bigger and better things are going to happen,” Horn said. “I’m just very grateful for it all to be able to just make my parents proud.”
