Westchester Teen Among Youngest Ever To Earn Civil Air Patrol Honor

NEW YORK — This Mamaroneck teenager isn't yet old enough to have a drivers license, but that hasn't stopped her from achieving a sky-high goal.

Mamaroneck High School honor roll student, Cadet Col. Arielle Nickerson is the New York Wing’s youngest ever cadet to achieve Civil Air Patrol’s highest cadet honor, earning the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award this month at age 15.

The Westchester Cadet Squadron 1 member received her award this month at the Spaatz Association Gala in Washington, D.C., from Gen. David W. Allvin, U.S. Air Force chief of staff.

"Over a CAP career which began in 1960 I have been privileged to mentor dozens of cadets aspiring to the Spaatz award," Lt. Col. Thomas Vreeland, who was the 27th cadet honored in September 1966, said. "In all of that time, I have never seen a candidate with more focus, confidence, energy, and enthusiasm working to prepare for her Spaatz examinations. Her exceptional leadership knowledge and skills, moral reasoning, and physical abilities, were successfully demonstrated, after just three years and five months, on her first try at the day-long comprehensive Spaatz examinations."

Less than one-half of one percent of cadets receive the Spaatz award, according to the CAP. It comes after attaining the cadet program’s 16 "Spaatz award achievements" and passing a rigorous cumulative battery composed of a strenuous physical fitness exam, an argumentative essay on a perennial moral debate, and two 60-question cumulative exams on aerospace and leadership.

Nickerson joined CAP in September 2020 at age 12. From the very beginning, she immersed herself in her aerospace and leadership classes, according to Civil Air Patrol leadership. She also distinguished herself through participation and leadership in her squadron’s space program, focused on the design, construction, testing, launch, and tracking of a variety of medium- to high-altitude balloons.

During the pandemic, she volunteered to conduct online aerospace and leadership courses and to provide remote flight training, which helped contribute to the success of her squadron, earning it the national Squadron of Distinction award in 2021.

Nickerson is the New York Wing’s youngest CAP small Unmanned Aircraft Systems pilot. She participated in the General Aviation Manufacturers Association Aviation Design Academy in the summer of 2022 and the CAP National Glider Flight Academy at Hartness State Airport in Vermont a year later. She also attended Wing Leadership Encampment at Norwich University in Vermont in 2021, and she graduated the Northeast Region Leadership Academy in December 2022.

She has been recognized as her squadron’s Air Force Association "Cadet Officer of the Year" and Veterans of Foreign Wars "Cadet Officer of the Year" and was honored with the squadron’s "Leadership Spotlight Award" and the "EXCELSIOR! Award" for the core values of excellence and integrity.

Nickerson is a standout runner at Mamaroneck High School and was named varsity captain her freshman year. As a competitor in women’s indoor and outdoor track events, she’s ranked nationally and in New York among the top 20 10th-grade athletes. She has also been designated as a 2024 Nike Indoor "national emerging elite athlete," qualifying her for the 2024 Nike National Championships.

Nickerson said she plans to prepare for and take her Federal Aviation Administration private pilot certificate exam and to continue building UAS flight proficiency and experience. She intends to explore a career in a behavioral health, human performance and aerospace-related field.