Kaylena Dornes
2018 Saratoga Fellow
Kaylena Dornes received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Angelo State University (ASU), along with commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, from ASU’s Detachment 847, into the United States Air Force in May 2018 as a Finance Management Officer. As an undergraduate student at ASU, Kay served as a teaching assistant for over 3 years to roughly 40 pre-k and kindergarten students at St. Luke Methodist Child Development Center of San Angelo, TX. It was throughout Kaylena’s volunteer experience at St. Luke, that sparked her spiritual commitment to the service of others within her community.
Additionally, Kay volunteered as a student tutor at the Adult Literacy Council of San Angelo, TX, by assisting adult students with improving their reading comprehension skills. She participated in three volunteer projects in New Orleans, Louisiana, Taos, New Mexico, and Acuna, Mexico, where she assisted local residents with repairing or rebuilding a residence within each community.
Throughout Kay’s Air Force ROTC career at ASU, she served as the Ram Aviators Fundraising Officer, Mission Support Squadron Commander, andTraining Support Squadron Commander. Her most prominent leadership position within the Corps was serving as one of two Drill Meet commanders who lead a 500 participant event consisting of JROTC units from various high schools over the state of Texas. Kay also lead multiple scholarship workshops for the First Generation Rams Program of ASU for first generation freshmen and sophomore students. Moreover, she spoke to over 70 local high school students of the San Angelo, TX community regarding scholarship opportunities to reduce college debt.
Kay is a recipient of over 60 scholarships from multiple scholarship organizations across the nation in which she independently applied for. Some of the scholarships include: the Irene Wischer Educational Foundation Scholarship, Heart Of Texas Chapter- Military Officers Association of America, and the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship of San Antonio, TX. She will continue post-graduate studies on an educational delay waiver through the Air Force Institute of Technology to receive a Master’s in Social Work from Howard University in Washington, D.C. beginning August 2018. Kay has dedicated countless hours to multiple communities as a result of her religious upbringing, and God’s continuous guidance and support on her life. She is confident that the Saratoga Fellows Program will mold her into an impactful Air Force officer as a military social worker.