AMYA to graduate 10 cadets via live Zoom event

The Alaska Military Youth Academy celebrated the graduation of 10 cadets from the class of 2020, on Friday, July 10 at 10:00 a.m. on a live meeting using the Zoom cloud software. The cadets were featured in their dress uniforms with live interactions, including a guest speaker from the class of 2007 and a speech from the honor graduate. The event included a prerecorded singing of the national anthem by cadets and a Color Guard flag presentation.

163 candidates began this cycle and 145 were still participating and had to be sent home due to the closure of residential schools throughout the state in March. Distant delivery and the distractions of life off of the campus proved challenging for a lot of students. Cadets were given the option to remain in the program through graduation if they were on track, re-enroll in the next class, or withdraw completely.

The 10 cadets who graduated met the criteria, and a large number of their peers will return to the next class. Four of the cadets will receive General Educational Development (GED) certificates and six of the cadets will receive both a GED and high school diploma. The special award portion of the ceremony will recognize the students who excelled in specific academic criteria.

This was the first virtual graduation ceremony in AMYA’s history, and these 10 are the admirable few who met the challenge of accomplishing the residential program through distant delivery. The next class, 2020-3, is scheduled to begin on July 28. 90 cadets from class 2020-2 will return and 60 new candidates will begin the 22-week residential phase under new COVID-19 protective measures.