Photo By Staff Sgt. Arielle Vasquez | Airmen and their families attend a Community College of the Air Force and higher...... read more read more
The Schriever Air Force Base Chiefs Group, Diamond Council and Top 3 hosted a Community College of the Air Force and higher education graduation ceremony at Schriever AFB, Colorado, May 3.
The CCAF was established in 1972 in order to gain academic recognition for the technical training conducted by Air Force schools. Over the years, the college has grown both in number and recognition. With more than 370,000 registered students, the college is the largest multi-campus community college in the world.
Col. Jennifer Grant, commander of the 50th Space Wing, presided over the ceremony; where more than 150 people were in attendance.
This ceremony marked the first time Schriever AFB has held a CCAF graduation ceremony of its own. In the past, all Team Schriever graduates attended CCAF ceremonies at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
“This ceremony is unique because Team Schriever came together to recognize our own folks for the first time,” said Master Sgt. Chad Peterson, first sergeant with the 50th Network Operations Group. “This not only included the 50th Space Wing, but our reservists and tenant units as well.”
According to the Schriever AFB Diamond Council and Top 3, keeping the event at Schriever AFB not only reduces logistical coordination with the 21st Space Wing, but further establishes Schriever AFB’s identity within Air Force Space Command.
“The planning for this started in January,” Peterson said. “The Peterson AFB Education Office gave us many tools to work with, but the majority of the process involved brainstorming new ideas since this was held in a different location. We wanted to make sure we kicked this off right and can continue to do this beyond this ceremony.”
Staff Sgt. Krisella Mariano Aguirre, system support technician with the 4th Space Operations Squadron, expressed what it meant to her to be a part of the first Team Schriever CCAF graduation.
“I officially earned my CCAF in January 2018,” she said. “The ceremony was the first one I ever attended and my favorite part was listening to 1st Lt. Adams’ speech. His journey through education has changed his life for the better and it was motivating to hear about it.
“During the ceremony, I felt very proud of myself,” she continued. “All those long nights of doing homework and stressing out about deadlines paid off today. I would tell Airmen who want to earn their CCAF that getting your degree shouldn’t be a race and to remember to take it one day at a time.”
Master Sgt. Nicholas Banks, mission assurance superintendent with the 1st Space Operations Squadron, reflected on the significance of Airmen earning CCAF degrees and having the opportunity to celebrate it among their families and peers.
“You only get this chance once in your career,” he said. “We want graduates to look back and be glad they were a part of this and continue to encourage others who follow in their footsteps. The base and mission is continuing to grow and we hope we can look back at this ceremony years from now and see how successful it has been.”
In the future, the councils plan to hold CCAF graduation ceremonies every May and October.
This year's Team Schriever graduates are:
1st Range Operations Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Gerald Matugas, Air and Space Operations Technology
1st Space Operations Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Davis Khalil, Air and Space Operations Technology
Staff Sgt. Diana Grabowski, Information Systems Technology
Staff Sgt. Daniel Nutter, Air and Space Operations Technology
Staff Sgt. Christopher West, Intelligence Studies and Technology
19th Space Operations Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Forrest Colegrove, Air and Space Operations Technology
Senior Airman John De Castro, Air and Space Operations Technology
Tech. Sgt. Anne Marie Scherer, Air and Space Operations Technology
2nd Space Operations Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Joseph Wood, Air and Space Operations Technology
21st Medical and Dental Squadron:
Tech. Sgt. Jason Ware, Dental Assisting
22nd Space Operations Squadron:
Tech. Sgt. Christopher Vastine, Air and Space Operations Technology
25th Space Range Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Jacob Myers, Information Systems Technology
310th Operations Group:
Master Sgt. John Halter, Air and Space Operations Technology
310th Operations Support Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Arleen Deitchman, Intelligence Studies and Technology
Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Heredia, Air and Space Operations Technology
310th Space Wing:
Master Sgt. Aaron Hunt, Human Services
380th Space Control Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Christopher Calsadillo, Air and Space Operations Technology
Tech. Sgt. Dustin Cronin, Electronic Systems Technology
4th Space Operations Squadron:
Senior Airman Dillon Frick, Air and Space Operations Technology
Senior Airman Taylor Jolley, Air and Space Operations Technology
Staff Sgt. Krisella Mariano, Air and Space Operations Technology
Senior Airman Shianne Perkins, Electronic Systems Technology
Senior Airman Angeira Plaza Martir, Air and Space Operations Technology
Airman 1st Class James Ramsay, Air and Space Operations Technology
50th Civil Engineer Squadron:
Senior Airman Casimy Metayer, Mechanical and Electrical Technology
50th Contracting Squadron:
Master Sgt. Francisco Diaz, Contracts Management and Mechanical and Electrical Technology
50th Operations Support Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Robert Depoy, Air and Space Operations Technology
Airman 1st Class Sydney Glover, Intelligence Studies and Technology
Tech. Sgt. Patrick Painter, Air and Space Operations Technology
Senior Airman Monique Pucci, Human Resource Management
Master Sgt. Peter Uson, Human Services
50th Space Communications Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Matthew Clugston, Information Systems Technology
Senior Airman Austin Gary, Information Systems Technology
Tech. Sgt. Bradley Pike, Information Systems Technology and Air and Space Operations Technology
50th Security Forces Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Joshua Cowen, Criminal Justice
Tech. Sgt. Steven McCoy, Criminal Justice
527th Space Aggressor Squadron:
Staff Sgt. Robert Inks, Air and Space Operations Technology
6th Space Operations Squadron:
Tech. Sgt. Kriesjo Quimzon, Air and Space Operations Technology
Tech. Sgt. Kristopher Mitchell, Air and Space Operations Technology
710th Security Forces Squadron:
Tech. Sgt. Robert Vens, Criminal Justice
8th Space Warning Squadron:
Tech. Sgt. Richard Braun, Air and Space Operations Technology
Staff Sgt. Sheena Curry, Human Resource Management
Senior Airman Danielle Edwards, Intelligence Studies and Technology
9th Space Operations Squadron:
Senior Airman Cristian Ramirez, Construction Technology
Air Force Technical Application Center:
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Bahr, Scientific Analysis Technology
Senior Airman Robert Bookland, Scientific Analysis Technology
Joint Functional Component Command:
Staff Sgt. Jacob Hoppe, Air and Space Operations Technology
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2018 11:37 |
| Story ID: | 276320 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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