sethmiller Bellflower resident Seth Tanner Miller has been appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and expects to begin the four-year program this summer.

Miller graduated from Valley Christian High School in Cerritos in 2010. He was accepted to the Air Force Academy Prep School, where he just completed his first year while playing on the school’s soccer team.

Miller applied to the Air Force Academy through the offices of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who holds an annual workshop covering the nomination and application process.

Each year, Roybal-Allard nominates qualified students from her district to the service academies including the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

Entrance to the academies is highly competitive. Each applicant’s character, scholarship, leadership, physical aptitude, medical fitness, goals, and motivation are evaluated to determine admission. Last year, only 13.5 percent of all Air Force Academy applicants were offered appointments.

After completing their studies, service academy graduates are required to serve in the military as commissioned officers for a minimum of five years.