2 graduate in summer ceremony

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachel Hammes
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The U.S. Air Force's Academy added two new graduates to the "Long Blue Line" today during the summer semester graduation and commissioning ceremony in Fairchild Hall here.

At the ceremony, Linnaea Hance and Orlando Saldana received their diplomas and were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force.

The commencement speaker, Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson, spoke to the cadets about their futures in the Air Force.

"Your achievements will always be important, but what matters most is what you do next," said Johnson. "Success is not the absence of failure, but of overcoming failure. I wish you the best in your careers and your new lives."

Retired Air Force Col. Rod Wells, graduate of the class of 1964, also addressed the graduates, commemorating the Academy's 50th anniversary.

Hance graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and a minor in Chinese, and will report to Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, to serve as an intelligence officer.

Saldana graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, and will report to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., to begin cyberspace operations officer training.

"I've been here 5.25 years," Saldana said. "It's definitely exciting to graduate. I'm going to miss all the friends I've made here, but I'm glad to start my new life."

These two lieutenants bring the Class of 2014's graduation total to 997 graduates.