News Photo by Julie Goldberg Alpena High School senior Nickoli D’Agrella is seen Friday with the Civil Air Patrol’s Brigadier Gen. Billy Mitchell Award he received on Dec. 14.

ALPENA — An Alpena High School senior recently received an honor that only 15% of Civil Air Patrol cadets have achieved.

Nickoli D’Agrella was awarded the Brigadier Gen. Billy Mitchell Award on Dec. 14.

The Mitchell Award marks the completion of Phase II of the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, which recognizes sustained excellence in four areas of cadet life: leadership, aerospace, fitness, and character.

“It’s more of an acknowledgement of the amount of effort that I’ve put into the program,” D’Agrella said. “I was very excited and it kind of made me feel like my work paid off and, overall, I get a little bit emotional about it, but I feel like that’s maybe another incentive to move even higher.”

D’Agrella is no stranger to achievement. He’s a 15-year-old senior because he’s tested consistently above his grade level. Alpena High Principal Tom Berriman said he tested out of five classes when he arrived at Alpena High in fall 2017.

By earning the Mitchell Award, D’Agrella becomes a cadet officer, is promoted to the grade of cadet 2nd lieutenant, and is challenged to lead and serve junior-ranking cadets.

“The average cadet who gets this is around 16 years old, so I am a little below that average, but it makes you stand out,” D’Agrella said.

Advice D’Agrella would give to other cadets is to never give up and to continue doing what they do every day.

“They’ll probably even get to where I am and even higher to places where most cadets never even get to go,” he said.

Berriman said the award is an honor for D’Agrella because of his work ethic, intelligence, and maturity.

“He’s got a really bright future ahead of him,” Berriman said. “This is a pretty big deal for Nickoli. I know this is something he’s been working towards and it’s always nice to see a student get awarded for something that they deserve.”

The Civil Air Patrol is a U.S. Air Force Auxiliary program started during World War II to mobilize civilians to defend the nation. Today, it is a service organization that still conducts emergency missions, according to the Air Force.

Julie Goldberg can be reached at 989-358-5688 or jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jkgoldberg12.