The Future is Now
This is one of a series of profiles of noteworthy Snohomish County high school graduates: Peter Faber, Snohomish and Academy NW (US Naval Academy) • Arianna Calvin, Kamiak, and Tholen Blasko, Sultan (WSU) • Hayden Davis, Lake Stevens (Harvard) • Michael Larson, Everett (Gonzaga) • Naomi Lee, Kamiak (UW) • Aurelio Valdez-Barajas, Mariner (SPU)
SNOHOMISH — Plebe Summer is nearly here for Peter Faber. On June 29, he’ll be inducted into the class of 2021 at the United States Naval Academy. It’s a big honor, but his ultimate goal is higher.
Faber, who attended both Academy Northwest and Snohomish High School, wants to be an astronaut. He said he imagines “putting an American flag into Mars soil.”
“Every kid dreams of it. For me, being an astronaut is the pinnacle of human achievement,” he said.
At least 52 astronauts have graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, more than from any other institution.
“I could see it actually happening,” said Cheryl Perron, an advisor and teacher at Academy Northwest. Faber graduated Saturday from the K-12 private school, which includes a home-education program. His 3.96 grade point average was slightly less than perfect due to his dad, also named Peter Faber, who was his Latin instructor.
“Academically, he overachieves,” Perron said of Faber, 18. “He always goes beyond what is required. And he’s not just an Eagle Scout, he lives it out in his everyday life.”
Faber completed his Eagle project in 2015. He helped create a preschool playground at Elim Lutheran Church in Lake Stevens, his place of worship.
Along with Academy Northwest, Faber was at Snohomish High for three years with the school’s Marine Corps Junior ROTC Program. He was executive officer of his ROTC company under the leadership of Capt. William Lennon, a retired Marine Corps officer. Faber also took AP physics, AP calculus and ran cross country at Snohomish High.
The elder Peter Faber said his son’s Naval Academy nomination came from Rep. Suzan DelBene, who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District.
Had he not been accepted to the academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he had a “Plan B.” His next choice was Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Faber learned about that school, which partners with NASA, last summer while on a team of Washington Aerospace Scholars. That program involves NASA, the University of Washington and the Museum of Flight.
“They planned a mission to Mars,” Faber’s dad said. “I can brag, his team won.”
The son of Peter and Sheila Faber, the soon-to-be midshipman has older siblings and a younger brother, Daniel, a high school junior next fall.
Midshipmen pay no tuition. Upon graduation, they face five years of active duty. Faber hopes to qualify for flight school. That’s not guaranteed. He’ll serve his country, that he knows for sure.
A young man whose favorite movies are “Apollo 13” and “The Rocketeer,” Faber also thinks about his future life on earth. “I’d like to fit a family in there. We’ll see,” he said.
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.
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