The organization acknowledges the academic achievements of veterans, active duty members of the military.
Ten students were inducted into the Cal U chapter of the national SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society during a virtual ceremony on May 4.
SALUTE — Service, Academics, Leadership, Unity, Tribute, Excellence — recognizes current or former members of the military who have at least a 3.0 GPA and attend a two- or four-year institution of higher education.
This is the second group of students to be inducted into the Cal U chapter since 2019:
- Breanna Balcuns, graduate student, Arabic, U.S. Marine Corps
- M. Francis Blubaugh, junior, biology, U.S. Army
- Dominic Bridges, May 2021, Doctor of Criminal Justice, U.S. Marine Corps
- Evan Dreucci, freshman, criminal justice, U.S. Army Reserves
- Steven Flick, May 2021, Doctor of Criminal Justice, U.S. Air Force
- Frank Marmo, May 2021, Doctor of Criminal Justice., U.S. Marine Corps
- Mark Meil, junior, jurisprudence, U.S. Marine Corps
- Chris Molleda, May 2021 graduate, Doctor of Criminal Justice, U.S. Army
- Chris Schaefer, May 2021, D.C.J., U.S. Army
- Jacqueline Siciliano, junior, exercise science, Air Force
“We want to congratulate you all on your academic success,” said Robert Prah, director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at Cal U and a major in the U.S. Army Reserves. “This is an important new initiative to honor our military and veteran students, and we’re happy that you’re a part of it.”
Prah commend the group on their academic success. SALUTE operates on a four-tier academic system that encourages advancement to higher tiers throughout a student’s college experience.
“Your academic achievements were in the highest tier, and it shows there is a lot of hard work that you put into your education. Many of you are balancing families, jobs and other commitments, and I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge your effort.”
David Garcia, Cal U’s vice president for Enrollment Management and a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, offered advice and wisdom for the new inductees.
“Your learning will never stop,” he said. “Take time to celebrate what you have accomplished, help others to accomplish their goals and continue to stay in touch with us. Help us to continue to make Cal U a better place for military and veteran students.”