HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – A graduation ceremony was held at the Minuteman Commons here Feb. 23 for military and civilian students who completed five weeks of Airman Leadership School.
The professional military education course prepares junior enlisted members and civilian students for supervisory responsibilities.
Senior Master Sgt. Ronald Young, 66th Security Forces Squadron Operations superintendent, as well as the class mentor, spoke about his impression of ALS Class 23-Bravo.
“My experience with the class was [they showed] an eagerness to strengthen their ability to lead, manage, and even follow,” he said.
During the graduation ceremony, Young, who addressed the graduates, spoke about leading.
“Completion of this professional education opportunity symbolizes that our warfighters are ready to accept the responsibility of thinking, acting, and responding to solve critical issues of their respective branches,” he said. “These new graduates will be leading teams as all-domain joint warfighting professionals and building a culture of cohesiveness to prepare our multi-capable fighters for the high-end fight.”
During the ceremony, ALS officials announced the names of those students who received awards. The school’s top award, the John L. Levitow Award, went to Senior Airman Aashiq Malachi, 66th Air Base Group Staff Judge Advocate office. The award recognizes the student who achieves the highest overall standing from a combination of academic scores, performance evaluation and leadership qualities.
The Academic Achievement Award was presented to Erin Blackman, 66th Force Support Squadron. This award goes to the student who achieves the highest summative scores throughout the class, displays characteristics of an effective leader and fostered teamwork within the training environment.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Smith, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston, received the Commandant Award. The recipient is the student who displays all the characteristics of a leader and is chosen by the school’s commandant.
Other students graduating from the course include:
Senior Airman Courtney Ankrapp, 176th Force Support Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Senior Airman Tyrstan Krumrie, 210th Engineering Installation Squadron, Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, Minnesota
Petty Officer 2nd Class Mikayla Willey, Sector Field Office Moriches, New York
Senior Airman Austin Parker, 66th Security Forces Squadron, Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts
Senior Airman Sophia Rivera, Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Directorate, Hanscom AFB
Senior Airman Joshua Rodriguez, 163rd Security Forces Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, California
Senior Airman Farah-Diba Pagnoni, 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard, Mass.
Senior Airman Elizabeth Morgan, 109th Medical Group, Stratton Air National Guard Base, N.Y.
Senior Airman Soumina Yang, 133rd Force Support Squadron, Minneapolis–Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station, Minn.
After completing the course, each graduate earned the U.S. Air Force NCO PME graduation ribbon.