Academy Airmen graduate leadership school
By Laurie Wilson, Aug. 30, 2017
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Six senior airmen at the Air Force Academy graduated Airman Leadership School August 24 in a ceremony in front of their families, friends and leaders here.
Along with earning six college credit hours in leadership training, successfully completing the course qualifies all six to directly supervise Airmen.
Senior Airman Cassidy Gula, a 10th Medical Group health care administrator, was recognized by her ALS instructors as the Distinguished Graduate.
“My dad, his girlfriend and my in-laws all came to celebrate last week and this week,” she said. “‘ALS’ is an opportunity for enlisted airmen to further our careers. It gives us the tools we need to be successful non-commissioned officers.”
Tech. Sgt. Martha Moore, Gula’s supervisor, said she was confident Gula would earn Distinguished Graduate recognition.
“She’s a great asset to this base community and we are all so proud of her,” Moore said.
Senior Airman Cristina Gabriel Melendez, a 10th Security Forces squadron military working dog handler, received the peer-voted Leadership Award from her classmates.
“I was completely surprised to be voted for this award because there were other very deserving finalists for it as well,” she said. “To be peer-recognized as a leader is a huge honor, but I could not have made it through the course without the encouragement and support of my husband and family.”
The six Airman Leadership School graduates are Gula, Gabriel Melendez, and Senior Airmen Derek Griffith, Andrew Steube, Dylan MacDermot and Luis Cisneros.