Garrett Bristol didn’t give up after finishing last in his first trip to the state cross-country meet, and he won’t stop trying to win acceptance at the U.S. Air Force Academy after he was turned down on the first attempt.

After attending a preseason team practice at the urging of a friend, Bristol joined the team and became a middle-of-the-pack runner on the junior varsity squad, later working hard enough to make the varsity team when it qualified for the state meet. In perfect running conditions, he ran all out and completed the 3.1-mile race in 22 minutes and 20 seconds, a respectable time for most, but last in the championship race.

“It was a humbling and embarrassing moment, but I refused to let it define me; instead, I used it as a motivation for growth. That race taught me that being at the bottom of the pack isn’t the end — it’s where the most valuable lessons begin,” Bristol said in his application for The Gazette Charities Foundation’s Best and Brightest scholarship. “You can learn a lot by being the worst of the best, a cruel but invaluable lesson.”

Bristol returned to finish in the middle of the pack the next year, using his previous finish as motivation to improve. That taught him not to let failure deter from his goal of being an Air Force officer, so just missing out on an academy nomination from either Colorado U.S. senator motivated him to strengthen his resume by attending Colorado Mesa University this fall, then reapplying to all service academies.

“You learn from failure to not let it stop you,” Bristol said. “I was three points from receiving a nomination. I got feedback from the (Colorado) Senatorial Nominating Committee on how to make my resume stronger and I will use that.”

Bristol wants to earn degrees in both mechanical and aerospace engineering to blend his practical knowledge of flying with advanced engineering methods to develop safer and more efficient ways to travel. He also has taken auto mechanics classes throughout high school so he can understand how the plans he develops for aircraft produce a finished aircraft on the manufacturing floor.

Bristol said in his application he wants to blend his “practical knowledge of flying with advanced engineering techniques. By combining these skills, I am to contribute to projects that focus on improving aircraft performance, optimizing designs and testing new aviation techniques. The goal is to ensure every innovative idea not only sounds good on paper but works effectively in real-world conditions.”

The Mesa Ridge High School senior has competed not just in cross country, but also in the pool where he qualified for the state swimming meet three times and in auto mechanics, where he was a regional winner in the SkillsUSA for automotive maintenance and light repair that enabled Bristol to advance to the state competition in April. He also likely will be valedictorian of his graduating class.

Bristol spends much of his spare time restoring his 1972 Jeep Commando that is equipped with a V-8 engine, three-speed manual transmission and he has plans to install a “lift kit” and oversized wheels.

Brett Johnson, a Mesa Ridge teacher, said in his letter of recommendation that he is most impressed with Bristol’s “leadership, kindness, compassion and willingness to help others,” including reading to elementary school students, volunteering at the National Museum of World War II Aviation, becoming a mentor for others in the SkillsUSA competition and teaching children to swim.