CHARLESTON, WV, UNITED STATES -- On June 4, 2017, the West Virginia Air National Guard held its inaugural graduation ceremony for five recipients of the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) associate degree in multiple subjects.
Master Sgt. Keith Beller, Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Colagrosso, Tech Sgt. Victoria Grogan, Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Hinchman, and Tech Sgt. Kirsten Mills were the receipts of their CCAF degrees in areas ranging from Biomedical Equipment Technology to logistics to Maintenance Production Management.
Wing leadership addressed the graduates in attendance at the ceremony and provided them with a few wise words of encouragement and guidance as they take the next step in their careers.
Col. Johnny M. Ryan, Jr., 130th AW commander, encouraged all members of the West Virginia Air National Guard to pursue higher education. He pointed to all of the benefits that college provides to Airmen; a path to upward mobility and increased opportunities that all military members should strive for.
“I want to congratulate all of the graduates today and encourage you to go out into the world to use your knowledge for good,” said Ryan. “You have made the wing proud, and I hope that you continue building upon this educational foundation that you have achieved.”
The 130th AW has produced more than 165 CCAF graduates, but today marked the wing’s first public recognition of reaching much a milestone.
The CCAF is a federally charted degree-granting institution that serves the United States Air Force's enlisted personnel. They partner with more than 108 affiliated Air Force schools, 82 Education Service Offices located worldwide and more than 1,500 civilian academic institutions to serve more than 300,000 active, guard and reserve enlisted personnel, making CCAF the world's largest community college system. Annually, the college awards more than 22,000 associate in applied science degrees from 68 degree programs.
Established April 1, 1972, the CCAF has awarded more than 335,000 associate in applied science degrees and students have earned more than 1.6 million hours of college credit. CCAF is the only institution of its kind in the U.S. military – a fully-accredited college authorized to award college degrees to enlisted personnel.
For more information about how to obtain your CCAF degree, please contact Senior Master Sgt. Anika Sloan at (304) 341-6140.