CVHS Graduate Will Join Space Force
When Gabrielle Rappa was a junior at Conestoga Valley High School (CVHS) in the spring of 2021, she was going through a tough time. "When COVID-19 hit, we were doing online schooling, and I lost motivation," recalled Rappa, whose grade point average hit a low point. "I was doubting myself."
Rappa noted that she had never been interested in going to college, but she had thought about entering the military. "It was in the back of my mind," she said. "When I hit rock bottom, I knew I needed to do something to back myself up."
Now, Rappa is preparing to head to Lackland, Texas, at the end of August to begin her basic training with the Space Force. She is recognized as the first Lancaster County resident to be accepted into this branch of the military.
Rappa's change in destiny can be traced to her first conversations with an Air Force recruiter in June 2021, when she was still 17. Rappa began taking practice Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) evaluations. She noted that she would have to meet a weight requirement, and she started going to the gym. Her grades improved. "I was dedicating myself. It was something I really wanted to do," she said. In October 2021, Rappa took a PiCAT, which she called "an adjusted version of the ASVAB," and she locked in her scores. She also visited the Military Entrance Processing Station for an in-depth physical to be sure she had no issues that would disqualify her from the military. Before the end of 2021, she took an oath of enlistment for the delayed-entry program.
In February 2022, Rappa and her recruiter began looking at career training choices. "I enjoy making connections and talking to people," said Rappa, who was told by her recruiter that the Space Force was very selective. "He said he had never worked with anyone who got in," said Rappa. "Right when he said that, I thought, 'I want to do it.'" Rappa applied, completing essay questions and sending in clearances. In May, she received the call letting her know she was accepted. "I cried because I had overcome so much," said Rappa.
Following basic training, Rappa will be sent to a technical school at an Air Force base in Vandenberg, Calif., where she will study space system operations, which will involve detecting and tracking missiles. "I am excited," said Rappa, who noted that one reason she applied was to encourage young women to consider the military, which she said is still a male-dominated field. "I want to excel and move up in rank, not only for me, but for little girls out there. You can do anything," she said.
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