Kylie Pettit, daughter of Brian and Kelly Pettit, recently graduated from the US Naval Academy with distinction. She was also commissioned as an ensign in the Navy.
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Kylie Pettit, daughter of Brian and Kelly Pettit, graduated from the United States Naval Academy with Distinction and was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy on May 24.
She majored in political science and minored in Arabic. She was one of eight students to participate in the Honors Political Science program, and she completed her honors thesis on the shifting politics of presidential immigration rhetoric. She was ranked 50th overall in her class of 1,061. These rankings are based on academic and physical performance as well as the Midshipman’s observed aptitude for commissioning.
During her time at the Academy, Kylie was a member of the 12th Company. She was also on the Club Marathon Team and completed six marathons with the team, including the Chicago Marathon and the Marine Corps Marathon. She also participated in the Midshipmen Action Group, which held several different community service events in the Annapolis area each year.
Kylie also got to do several extra leadership trainings each summer. She spent several weeks onboard different ships, and this most recent summer was attached to an F/A-18 Squadron onboard the USS Ronald Reagan. She also had the opportunity to participate in a month-long program in Egypt to study Arabic at the American University in Cairo. Her most rewarding leadership challenge was spending a month detailing the incoming freshman class and preparing them for life as a Midshipman.
Through different experiences the Academy offered, Kylie got to spend time on Navy surface ships, Navy submarines, Navy aircraft squadrons, and with Marine Corps units. Ultimately, Kylie felt most at home in the aviation community and was one of 221 Midshipmen in her class to receive a service assignment as a Navy pilot. Kylie will be heading down to Pensacola, Fla. in July to begin her flight school and training. She does not yet know what platform she will be flying, but she will be happy to be in the air flying any of the Navy’s awesome platforms.
