Students lived a day in the life of an Air Force cadet when they paid a visit to the Air Force Academy (AFA) and took a whirl in the flight simulators.

Sponsored by the Josef Korbel School student group, Denver Women in International Security (DWIIS), several students were escorted by Professors Brent Talbot and Colonel Drohan to the AFA  in Colorado Springs where students were first  briefed on some of the courses the cadets take.

“The approach the instructors take at the AFA is very holistic,” Melissa Hoffman, president of DWIIS and current MA student in the International Security program, said. “They incorporate military strategy with humanitarian strategy, which I thought was very neat and pragmatic in this day and age.”

Hoffman is similarly trying to bring a holistic approach to her student group. Not only is the group open to men, but also open to all disciplines, concentrations, and interests. Hoffman said that while the group will always be security focused, she wants to make sure that it doesn't just entail the military and weapons.

“It is impossible to go into a situation and think that the military is the only way to solve conflicts,” Hoffman said. “Rather, it is important to incorporate all aspects of international studies into solving global conflicts, which is why DWIIS is changing and adapting to the world today.”

The group is also planning skill building workshops with professors to work on practical skills such as writing a Presidential Daily Brief. Hoffman added that DWIIS isn't all work and no play. This year the group holds monthly happy hours or brunches designed to help members network with one another and with alumni.

And the AFA also knows how to have fun. After the briefings the students took to the skies in flight simulators where they flew missions and dodged enemy fire with double barrel rolls.

- M Schwinn, MA Candidate, International Security