Ļć½¶Ö±²„Air Force ROTC cadets receive top national honors
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss. ā Ļć½¶Ö±²„ās Air Force ROTC again is receiving accolades with the selection of two cadets for top national honors.
Senior mathematics major AFROTC Cadet Courtney Conway is the only cadet in the nation receiving the 2018 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Associationās Maj. Gen. Robert Sadler, USAF, Honor Award. The award is given to top graduating cadets in electrical engineering or communications sciences in memory of Sadler, former senior director of corporate and chapter operations for AFCEA International. AFCEA awards recognize ROTC graduates in each service who demonstrate excellence in military and academic performance. Conway, an Oxford native, plans to graduate next month from MSU.Ģż
Additionally, Conway and fellow AFROTC Cadet Sarah Doll, a senior criminology major from Charleston, South Carolina, both are selections for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The federal law enforcement agency investigates federal level crimes within the Air Force, and identifies and neutralizes criminal, terrorist or espionage threats against the military division. After completing AFOSI training, Conway and Doll will join the group as career Air Force officers. They are among 22 ROTC cadets in the nation chosen from a pool of applicants from 145 AFROTC units.Ģż
Lt. Col. Joseph J. Cassidy II, commander of MSUās AFROTC Detachment 425, saidĀ Conway and Doll distinguished themselves through their academicĀ records, job interviews and internships.
Of Conwayās AFCEA award, Cassidy said, āCadet Conwayās zeal in attacking leadershipĀ challenges andĀ commitment to excellenceĀ is a clear display of the traitsĀ the Air Force is looking for in ourĀ officer candidates.ā
Conway credits Cassidy for being the ādriving forceā behind her AFCEA win, noting he submitted her application because of her performance in school and in AFROTC.Ģż
āIt is an honor and privilege to receive the AFCEA award,ā Conway said. āTo say the least, it is a testament to the high expectations that our Air Force ROTC cadre set and the mentorship we receive in preparation for Air Force active duty.ā
Conway said MSUās Department of Mathematics and Statistics ādeserves credit for the wonderful professors and instructors who have taught and mentoredā her and pushed her āto strive for the best academically.ā Her AFCEA selection brings Ļć½¶Ö±²„back-to-back national recognition following last yearās win by Ļć½¶Ö±²„cadet Trevor H. Williams of Bryant, Alabama. The award includes an iconic Chelsea Clock.
Regarding the two studentsā AFOSI selection, Cassidy said, āTo be interviewed by current AFOSIĀ agentsĀ and ultimatelyĀ selected by theseĀ agents is an impressive accomplishment and honor.ā He continued, āTo have two cadet students at MSUĀ out of the 22 selected nationallyĀ for the AFOSIĀ career field is a fantastic accolade for our institution.ā
Doll said she is excited to make her desire to investigate crimes a reality.Ģż
āWanting to be an AFOSI agent ties together my desire to serve my country with my interest in studying crime,ā Doll said.
She said having multiple leadership roles within Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Ļć½¶Ö±²„Spectrum, while maintaining her grades and holding an on-campus job, made her a good candidate for AFOSI.Ģż She also credits her Paris study abroad experience, an immersion in the French language, as a help in garnering the AFOSI selection.
āI also had the chance last year to help lead an organization, Arnold Air Society, on a national level with Courtney, which opened up a lot of opportunities and connections for us both,ā Doll said.Ģż
Conway said she has always wanted to serve her country through military service and desired a career in law enforcement. She shadowed AFOSI agents to understand what the career path entailed.
āAfter spending time with AFOSI, I knew without hesitation that this was the perfect career for me,ā Conway said
Like its Army counterpart at MSU, AFROTC enables full-time students to become military officers while completing higher education degrees. For more information, visit .
MSUās College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,300 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments.ĢżComplete details about the College of Arts and Sciences may be found atĀ .
Ļć½¶Ö±²„is Mississippiās leading university, available online atĀ .Ģż