FORT SILL – For 18-year-old Aalyshia Williams, working hard at school has paid off—literally.
The Elgin, Okla. resident was recently presented with a $2,000 gift card, the grand prize in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s You Made the Grade sweepstakes, at the Fort Sill Exchange.
“I was shocked, honestly,” Williams said. “Out of all the people who put their name into the drawing, I was the person to be pulled for first place. It blew my mind.”
Aalyshia graduated from Mililani High School in May and is about to start classes at Ohio State. Her favorite subject is science, and she hopes to major in chemistry. She was picked from more than 650 students with a B average or higher who entered the sweepstakes. She said plans to use the gift card to furnish her dorm room.
Aalyshia’s father, Maj. Anthony Williams of 2/4 Field Artillery, 76th Brigade, has served in the Army for 17 years.
“You Made the Grade is definitely a motivation, because she knows when she gets her report card she can go get her coupon books and get a free lunch and all those things,” said Tanya Williams, Aalyshia’s mother. “Education is a big deal for all of our kids.”
The Exchange also awarded second- and third-place prizes in the worldwide sweepstakes. Second-place winner, Tyler Burgess, a ninth-grader at Wylie High School in Abilene, Texas, was presented with a $1,500 gift card at the Dyess Air Force Base Exchange on Aug. 17. Tyler, 14, is the son of Lt. Col. James Burgess of the 317th Airlift Wing.
Third-place winner, Dylan Hughs, was presented with a $500 gift card at the Scott Air Force Base Exchange on Aug. 1. Hughs, 15, is a ninth-grader at O’Fallon Township High School in O’Fallon, Illinois. His father, Air Force Reserve Maj. Robert Hughs, has served for nine years.
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor, said the Exchange is honored to recognize high-achieving students.
“The Exchange salutes the hard work, dedication and determination of these students,” Reyes said. “Despite the frequent moves and everyday stressors that go along with military life, they have set an example of academic achievement for other military children to follow.”
Through the Exchange’s You Made the Grade program, first- through 12th-graders with a B average or higher are eligible to receive a coupon book with Exchange discounts and a sweepstakes entry form for a chance at a $2,000, $1,500 or $500 prize. The program is intended to reward military students who excel in the classroom. Those who enter must be dependents of authorized Exchange shoppers.
Shoppers can visit customer service at their local Exchange for a coupon booklet and sweepstakes entry form. The next You Made the Grade sweepstakes drawing will be on June 30.
Facebook-Friendly Version:
Aalyshia Williams, 18, of Elgin, Okla. was recently presented with a $2,000 gift card at the Fort Sill Exchange for winning first place in the Exchange’s You Made the Grade Sweepstakes. Second-place winner, Tyler Burgess, of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, won a $1,500 gift card, and third-place winner, Dylan Hughs, of Scott Air Force Base, Ill., won a $500 gift card. The students were selected from more than 650 entrants to be recognized for outstanding academic achievement in the Exchange’s You Made the Grade sweepstakes. Read the full story at http://bit.ly/2wo2PD9.
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The Army & Air Force Exchange Service goes where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives through goods and services provided. Exchange earnings provide dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs. The Exchange is part of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors, responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force through the Chiefs of Staff. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at https://publicaffairs-sme.com/ExchangePost/ or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Conner Hammett, 214-312-2714 or [email protected].
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