Three Cal State San Bernardino students were among nine area college graduates who received commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force during an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Commissioning Ceremony on June 19 at the Elks Lodge in San Bernardino.

The honored CSUSB students are:

  • Edwin A. Cardenas, B.A. Arabic language, culture and literature;
  • Megan J. Duenas, B.A. graphic design marketing; and
  • Luigi C. Gomez, B.A. human/organizational communication.

The other students were: Elizabeth Beck, B.A. anthropology, University of California, Riverside; Scott T. Dvorak, B.A. environmental business, University of Redlands; Mikayla K. Mele, B.A. criminal justice, California Baptist University; and Julian Okey, B.S. physics, Cal Poly Pomona.

Two other seniors, Jessica E. Zetina, B.A. criminal justice, CSUSB; and Alexander W. Garland, B.S. mathematics, California Baptist University, were given mock commissions while they await final medical clearance.

Once the newly commissioned officers enter active duty, they will be stationed at bases around the country, said Lt. Col. Charles Peterson, commanding officer AFROTC Detachment 002 Cal State San Bernardino, and coordinator and professor of the university’s aerospace studies department.

There are currently 6,600 active duty USAF second lieutenants in bases around the country and around the world, said Peterson, who congratulated the students for completing and passing the rigorous four-year training program. The graduates emerged from a class of 32 that was whittled down to nine.

“Today was the culmination of years of hard work above and beyond what the ‘normal’ college student experiences,” Peterson said. “Their drive and determination, coupled with the intense desire to serve their country and protect our freedoms, all while attending college, holding down a job, and having a personal life … it never fails to inspire.”

Along with their regular course of academic study, for ROTC the students took classes in leadership, ethics, management and national security. They also attended weekly physical training sessions and successfully completed Field Training, ROTC’s boot camp equivalent.

Visit the CSUSB aerospace studies website for more information on the Air Force ROTC program.

For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.