Levine Scholar, Southeast’s top Air Force trainee shines

Air Force ROTC's Kailey Filter
Monday, June 1, 2015

When she was a kid, Kailey Filter heard a story about a pair of stretchers rushed into a hospital, one after the other. The first held a man, the second: his missing foot.

The mother of Filter’s close childhood friend was a nurse. She often came home and told the girls about her day at work, accounts that painted an all too clear picture of what nurses see and do.

The stories stuck. Not because they frightened Filter, but because she recognized the small wonders that happen at hospitals every day. Whether it was helping a patient walk again by healing an injured leg or bringing a sick person back to health, Filter said she “thought it was incredible how science and medicine had evolved to better people’s lives.”

Today, memories of those first glimpses into the medical profession remain. Their significance is underscored by the fact that Filter, a recent graduate of the UNC Charlotte School of Nursing, stands poised to make an impact of her own.

Accomplished 49er

Next month, Filter will start a job as a medical-surgical unit nurse at an Air Force hospital in California. Graduating near the top of her class from the School of Nursing, Filter also leaves campus as one of the most decorated Air Force ROTC cadets in the country.

She was named the No. 1 AFROTC cadet in Southeast, besting nearly 3,500 others, and was ranked in the top three nationally out of more than 10,000.

Filter’s ability to do many different things really well at the same time may be what most sets her apart.

Kelly Powers, a lecturer in nursing in the College of Health and Human Services, taught Filter, and she was her clinical rotation supervisor. She stated Filter’s ability to balance commitments is amazing, adding Filter excelled in the classroom and with patients. “She is knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate. Kailey's future patients and their families will be lucky to have her, as will the nurses and other interdisciplinary team members who get to work alongside her.”

Air Force ROTC leader and community advocate

Turning down a spot at the Air Force Academy, Filter came to UNC Charlotte in 2011, the beneficiary of two respected scholarships. She received the Levine Scholarship, the most prestigious merit award on campus and also won an AFROTC scholarship.

Filter’s college decision was influenced by a concern for others. She said at first, she wasn’t completely sure the military was right for her, and she worried about taking an Air Force Academy spot from another worthy candidate. AFROTC thus provided an ideal opportunity for Filter to learn about the armed forces. It quickly became clear she was on the right track.

“I stand for everything the Air Force does and want to serve. The Air Force turned into the perfect combination of medicine and service,” she stated.

Filter quickly rose to the top student position in UNC Charlotte’s AFROTC program. As cadet wing commander, she was responsible for leading 80 cadets through military training.

“My biggest kept secret is that all the cadets that I train teach me more than I could ever teach them,” said Filter. “Every individual has so much to offer and I was given the opportunity to shape cadets and nudge them to become the people and leaders that I, and everyone else, would want to follow.”

Fellow AFROTC cadet John Jensen described Filter as a “rare breed.”

“One of the very special things about Kailey is she can, no matter what, be friendly,” he added.  “She may be someone’s polar opposite, but she finds a way to relate to them and get the job done, which is a very important quality in our line of work.”

Filter consistently turned that empathy into action.

She organized two dance marathon charity events, which raised nearly $85,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network. She also volunteered 320 hours at the American Red Cross and was a member of Red Cross response teams at several house fires, helping those affected find a safe place to go.

And her prolific reach included other vulnerable populations. The future nurse teamed with the Urban Ministry Center’s Operation Sandwich to feed hungry Charlotteans and helped collect 750 books for the Boys & Girls Club.

Levine Scholar

Filter credits the Levine Scholarship for broadening the range of opportunities she had in college. The program paid for her and her fellow 13 scholars to go abroad each summer; she personally traveled to Alaska, Israel and Cuba.

Chloe Rodengen and several other Levine scholars joined Filter on the trip to Israel. The journey centered on an archaeological dig at Mt. Zion, but it was on the side trips beyond the mountain that Filter’s natural leadership became apparent.

Rodengen remembered encountering an ancient aqueduct called Hezekiah’s Tunnel one afternoon. The narrow underground passageway is believed to have carried water to Jerusalem in biblical times. The students had planned to explore the tunnel, but even Levine scholars are unprepared on occasion. No one in the group had thought to bring a flashlight to navigate the unlit passage. Undeterred, Filter poked ahead through the black air and knee-deep water, leading the group to the other side.

Rodengen stated this is typical of her friend. Not a bad sign for Filter’s career; great nurses have an innate understanding of what it means to lead people through dark places back into the light.

People person

Looking back on this vast collection of experiences, Filter said she occasionally asks herself how she did it all.

“I, like every college student, had my sleepless nights, my breakdowns and my times when I asked myself why I said ‘yes’ to something.”

But she decided early on to make the most of her college experience.

“I was very passionate about everything I was involved in and wanted to always give it my all. I am never one to give half effort. My parents did a great job of teaching me from an early age that I should put 100 percent into the things I am involved with.”

Yet after it all, Filter’s answer as to what she’ll remember most resounds.

“Twenty years from now, I will look back on the pictures that I have, and I probably will not be able to tell you what is going on in the picture, but I will forever be able to tell you who is in the picture with me.”