KINGSPORT — A local high school has not one but two students headed to a free four-year college education at a military academy.
At college graduation, they are to be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force. They will graduate high school Friday, May 23.
What’s more, one already has earned her private pilot’s license free in a military program, the first student from the school to do that, and the other is graduating from high school a year early. He joined the public school after being homeschooled through his elementary and middle school years.
SOON-TO-BE DOBYNS-BENNETT GRADS
The two Dobyns-Bennett High School seniors, Nathan Browning and Taylor Davis, have received appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Nathan Browning is the son of Jerry and Christine Browning, while Taylor Davis is the daughter of Kelly Davis.
Both are members of the Dobyns-Bennett Air Force JROTC or the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, and both have served as squadron commanders during their tenure, him last semester and her this semester.
The appointments place the two among a select group of students nationwide who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance, leadership, physical fitness, patience and a deep commitment to serving their country, according to a news release from Kingsport City Schools.
TAYLOR DAVIS
Davis, 18, spent part of the summer between her junior and senior years at the Air Force Flight Academy, a competitive free scholarship program in which she earned her private pilot’s license. The only child is the first female or male to do so from D-B since the JROTC program began there in 2006.
She and her mom moved to Kingsport from South Carolina and she started seventh grade at Robinson Middle School, where she learned about AFJROTC. At D-B, she rearranged her schedule as a freshman to join JROTC. She said she also was influenced by her mom’s four years of service in the Air Force.
Davis has taken 12 Advanced Placement, two college dual enrollment and all honors courses since her sophomore year. She said she ranks in the top 10 of the Class of 2025, likely either seventh or eighth depending on the current semester’s grades. Her most recent grade point average is a 4.64.
“I’m also very interested in the behavioral sciences/psychology major they have, as well as the pre-med†program and neuroscience in particular, Davis said. She said she’s also considered becoming a pilot/doctor but is not sure that would be allowable.
She credited former Air Force Col. Eric Vogt, who has retired from D-B’s JROTC, as helping her through the Flight Academy application last school year.
“When I joined JROTC, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do,†Davis said. “It (piloting) was something I became more fond of as I learned more about the Air Force.â€
Another student accepted into the Air Force Academy, Jackson Lumpe of Greeneville High School, went to the Flight Academy with her and also took her to his prom this year. She attended the D-B prom with Nathan.
NATHAN BROWNING
Nathan, 16, will turn 17 June 21, the day before he leaves for the Air Force Academy.
In addition to all the regular paperwork, his parents had to fill out an additional form giving him permission to join the military before he turns 18.
He was homeschooled until his sophomore year and did first and second grade in one year, which put him on a trajectory to graduate a year early.
His first year at D-B, he didn’t take any honor or Advanced Placement classes, explaining he wanted time to adjust to public school.
However, he started those his junior year, taking 10 AP, one dual enrollment and mostly honors classes as he could work them into his schedule.
Nathan said he ranks in the top 10% of the D-B Class of 2025.
His parents, a mother from Maryland and a father from North Carolina, moved here in the 1980s. He has three older adult sisters, all married.
His father, a four-year Army veteran, retired from a civilian job after his kindergarten year to homeschool him. He also has a cousin who is a pilot in training after graduating the U.S. Naval Academy, a grandfather who was in the Army and another who served in the Navy.
“I just wanted to experience a public education. My parents had homeschooled me since pre-K,†Nathan said of his decision to attend D-B.
“Some of my friends that go to West Ridge (High School) the (Sullivan) County school were in the (Air Force Junior ROTC) program there. I thought I’d try out the one at D-B.†he said. “I’ve always had the idea of joining the military since I was a child.â€
After joining AFJROTC at D-B, he began to think about going to a military academy. He said he might become a military pilot or possibly pursue a military career in aeronautical or astronautical engineering, which concern air flight and space flight, respectively.
“Being a pilot is something I’ve thought about,†he said.
REQUIREMENTS OF THEIR APPOINTMENT
The application process includes formal interviews, medical examinations and a nomination from a member of Congress or a service-related organization such as JROTC.
Fewer than 1,200 applicants are accepted into the Academy each year from more than 10,000 applications. Each appointment equates to a four-year, full-tuition scholarship covering all academic and associated costs, worth approximately $600,000.
“On behalf of the Dobyns-Bennett High School staff, I extend our congratulations to Taylor and Nathan on their prestigious appointments to the United States Air Force Academy,†D-B Principal Dr. Brian Tate said in a KCS news release. “Having two students from the same school receive such an honor is both rare and remarkable,†Tate said. “Their dedication, leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence have earned them this incredible opportunity. We are proud of their accomplishments and look forward to watching them soar as they serve our nation — Aim High.â€
The academy offers a four-year program designed to develop leaders of character for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, the D-B release said. While at the academy, students take part in a wide variety of programs, including flight training, free-fall parachuting, competitive athletics, military training and foreign exchange opportunities.
Graduates from the academy will earn a bachelor’s of science degree in one of 31 majors which include engineering, science, social sciences and humanities, and a commission as an officer in the U.S. Air or Space forces.
Nathan and Davis will report to the academy in late June to begin Basic Cadet Training before starting their first academic semester in the fall.
Since its establishment in 2006, the D-B AF JROTC program has engaged more than 19,000 students, many of whom have gone on to serve in the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps or attend institutions such as the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
For more information on the Air Force Academy, go to .
