Zachary Kiefer Zachary Kiefer will make the big leap from Moorpark College to UCLA in the fall.

A high grade point average and strong extracurricular efforts have earned the 19yearold Simi Valley resident a full tuition scholarship from the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC).

Kiefer attended Moorpark College for just one year.

"I had enough advanced placement credits from Santa Susana High School, so I was able to transfer early, and I knew if I worked hard my acceptance into UCLA would happen," Kiefer said.

His success at the Moorpark community college proved to Kiefer that he was capable of acceptance in a top-rated university.

Kiefer praised Moorpark's teachers and guidance counselors, especially Anitra Evans.

Kiefer said Evans helped him with transferring his credits and worked with her contacts at UCLA to help him realize his dream of becoming a Bruin and a ROTC cadet.

"I've wanted to be a pilot since I was a little kid, and that's what got me interested in the Air Force branch of the program," Kiefer said.

And, he said, "The movie 'A Few Good Men' got me interested in law."

The son of Carl and Karin Kiefer hopes to obtain a degree in political science from UCLA and go on to law school with the goal of becoming an attorney specializing in international law.

Daniel Carter, a captain and admissions officer at UCLA, said he already likes what he sees in the young Simi Valley resident.

"Kiefer is a sharp young man and has shown quite a bit of potential as a cadet," Carter said. "He earned the scholarship because he had the GPA, eligibility and potential to become an Air Force officer."

Kiefer succeeded in passing the Air Force's physical and written exams, and entered the ROTC program last September.

He's now ready to face the physical and mental challenges that will accompany his military training inside the classroom and out.

ROTC will help defray Kiefer's UCLA costs and provide excellent career opportunities when he graduates.

"Right out of college I can become a second lieutenant in the Air Force, and I learned all the jobs available to the Air Force," Kiefer said. "I can be a pilot or have a job in law."

The cadet said he's both nervous and excited about the experience that awaits him at UCLA this fall.

He knows his curriculum will be rigorous and boot camp tough.

But, he says, "The best thing about the ROTC program at UCLA is that it will keep me in shape and create a lot of leadership qualities. I now have a new respect for the military."