OSU Student Wins Armed Forces Distinguished Award For Service

NewsOn6.com

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- An Oklahoma State University student was recently was awarded the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Regional Distinguished Young AFCEAN award for her exceptional performance in the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.

The award given to 1st Lt. Melanie Alvarez honors her record of superior technical achievement and going "above and beyond" at the local chapter level.

A member must first be selected by his or her local chapter and then picked by the AFCEA regional vice presidents. Winners are recognized annually at the AFCEA West Conference in San Diego, California.

"I am extremely proud to be recognized by my chapter and the AFCEA Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Region," said Alvarez, a master's student in OSU's telecommunications program. "I have benefitted enormously from my membership, so to me this award indicates that the organization feels I contributed back and have helped others benefit as well."

The AFCEA is a non-profit organization serving the military, government, industry and academia. Its mission is to advance professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, internet technology, intelligence and global security.

Alvarez was accepted to OSU in the fall of 2008 and was deployed to Iraq in January of 2009.