The Alaska Military Youth Academy will graduate 71 cadets from Class 2022-1 as part of its ChalleNGe program and celebrate more than 28 years of service to the State of Alaska, June 16, 2022.
The 10 a.m. graduation ceremony took place at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Wasilla, Alaska. The event was open to the public and will be livestreamed for the public outside of the local area. The livestream will be available on https://www.facebook.com/GOAMYA.
During their 22-week residential phase at the AMYA ChalleNGe program, the corps of cadets focused on academic excellence, leadership and followership, physical fitness, life-coping skills, responsible citizenship, vocational training and service to the community. Class 2022-1 provided more than 3,693 hours of service to the community; 42 cadets earned their high school credentials; others earned 7.0 transferrable credits each. Nineteen cadets received vocational training through the Alaska Works Partnership, and all of the cadets received guidance on future training opportunities in the trades. Cadets donated 16 units of blood, potentially saving 48 lives. All cadets completed training in financial responsibility.
The 71 cadets set to graduate from the AMYA will join the more than 6,344 previous graduates since 1994. The graduates come from communities throughout Alaska: Anchor Point, Anchorage, Bethel, Delta, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Junction, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, North Pole, Palmer, Sutton, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Willow, and Yakutat. The program is co-sponsored under a cooperative agreement between the National Guard Bureau and the State of Alaska at no cost to those selected to attend.
Additionally, all cadets participate in the year-long, post-residential phase where graduates return to their communities to practice the life-skills principles they learned and continue their education, enter the workplace, or enter the military. The goal of this phase is for graduates to sustain and build on the gains made during the residential phase while serving as a productive member of society.
The Alaska Military Youth Academy continues to fulfill its mission to help intervene in and reclaim the lives of youth and produce program graduates with the values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults. The next class begins on July 20, 2022.
