Homeschool high achiever enters Air Force. (Making a Difference).

Joyce Lippe, 18, lost her father in a helicopter accident at age two. Soon thereafter, she began pestering her mother to teach her to read. Mrs. Lippe eventually relented, and within a three-week period at age three Joyce was reading on her own.

In an Air Force Press News (AFPN) story posted July 23rd on the official U.S. Air Force website Air Force Link, Miss Lippe recalled how anxious she was to read and learn math: "Every day I would come home and throw temper tantrums because they wouldn't teach me in daycare." So her mom, an elementary school teacher, "created her own teaching program, and from that I learned to read in three weeks. After seeing that, she decided to home school me with the help of my grandparents."

By the time Joyce was 10, she was performing so far above high school level that she began attending community college-level classes. By age 13, as reported by AFPN, "she had earned an associate of arts degree in liberal studies" at Central Arizona College, while posting a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA). She was also named valedictorian and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.

Joyce then enrolled as a full-time student at Arizona State University. She graduated at age 17 with a bachelor of science degree in biology after earning another 4.0 GPA and a place on the National Dean's List honoring outstanding college students.

Joyce has long dreamed of becoming a physician. Two years ago, while searching for a scholarship to help offset the expense of medical school, she noticed Technical Sergeant Malcolm Hawkins, an Air Force recruiter, during a Medical Professions Career Fair at the University of Arizona. She grabbed one of his business cards and called him the next day.

Hawkins told AFPN that when he first spoke with Joyce, he thought someone was playing a practical joke on him. "I remember one afternoon sitting in my office doing paperwork when I got the call. I did the preliminary questions to find out if she was eligible, and I remember asking her, 'How old are you?' She said, 'I'm 15.' I almost fell out of my chair. Then I started thinking that someone in the squadron was yanking my leg. But I decided to go with it."

Joyce told him that she wanted to discuss the Air Force, so he decided to call her bluff. "I told her because of her age, she needed a legal guardian to accompany her. She didn't hesitate to agree and came to my office the next day," accompanied by her mother.

Joyce recalls: "We grilled him for two straight hours about the Air Force. We knew there had to be drawbacks, but there weren't any. At the time, I'd never considered the Air Force, but now I get to do something that I love and serve my country at the same time."

The barriers for a 15-year-old were formidable, however. For one thing, preliminary physical examinations and eligibility paperwork could not be completed until she turned 17. But during the week after her 17th birthday, she passed the physicals and completed the other steps required to become an Air Force officer.

Sergeant Hawkins continued to update her status with Air Force Recruiting Service officials. Some of the newer AFRS personnel were, he remembers, "in disbelief," and thought he was kidding.

"Not only had Lippe graduated from college by the time she was 17, but also never had lower than an A-grade in any class she took," Hawkins recalled. "Schools would call her to verify her age. At headquarters, we have everyone awaiting transition into active duty on reports. That helps keep the leadership abreast of their status. In every report we'd print, every laundry list of applicants awaiting entry, Lippe's name appears, but hers is the only one with an asterisk next to it saying, '17 year old.'"

On August 8th -- her 18th birthday -- Joyce received her commission as an Air Force second lieutenant during a ceremony at the University of Arizona.