{"id":12245,"date":"2026-03-16T10:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T15:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=12245"},"modified":"2026-03-16T10:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T15:00:01","slug":"big-wins-for-bright-minds-three-scholars-earn-4000-in-worldwide-army-air-force-exchange-service-sweepstakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/16\/big-wins-for-bright-minds-three-scholars-earn-4000-in-worldwide-army-air-force-exchange-service-sweepstakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Wins for Bright Minds: Three Scholars Earn $4,000 in Worldwide Army & Air Force Exchange Service Sweepstakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 <\/strong>Three military students turned academic excellence into big rewards, earning a combined $4,000 in Exchange gift cards through the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s You Made the Grade sweepstakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mia Mendoza, an 11th<\/sup> grader from the Shaw Air Force Base community was presented with the grand prize of a $2,000 Exchange gift card. U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys eighth grader Ethan Park pocketed his second-place prize of $1,500 and Gabriel Gomez, a 10th<\/sup> grader from the Maxwell Air Force Base community earned the $500 third-place prize.<\/p>\n

For the fall 2025 semester, the Exchange received more than 1,400 sweepstakes entries worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been very supportive of her [Mia] to pursue education,\u201d said her father, Wesley Mendoza, who was medically discharged from the Air Force after 10 years of service. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve told her, \u2018You just never know what can come out of it.\u2019 For us, the sweepstakes was like a scholarship. You apply, you may or may not get it, but you have to try. The worst thing that can happen is someone says no, but she ended up getting rewarded for her good grades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2000, the You Made the Grade program has celebrated the academic achievement of military children in first through 12th<\/sup> grades. Students, including those who are homeschooled, can bring their report cards to the PX\/BX customer service area each grading period to receive an Exchange gift card and coupon sheet.<\/p>\n

“I’ve never had an experience\u00a0like this in my life. It feels good for my hard work to finally pay off,\u201d Gomez said. \u201cI am grateful and would like to thank God for this blessing.”<\/p>\n

Students who earn straight As or the equivalent earn a $20 Exchange gift card while students who earn a B average or the equivalent receive a $10 Exchange gift card. Children who are making progress on specialized education programs can participate too.<\/p>\n

Students who make the grade also receive an Exchange coupon sheet for deals on products, services and food. Participants can also enter the biannual worldwide sweepstakes for a chance to snag a $2,000, $1,500 or $500 Exchange gift card.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe You Made the Grade program highlights the extraordinary work that the children of our Nation\u2019s heroes accomplish,\u201d said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Rich Martinez, the Exchange\u2019s senior enlisted advisor. \u201cThe sweepstakes encourages our children to continue to excel academically despite the challenges they face.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spring 2026 drawing will take place in June. To enter, students or parents can complete the form on the back of the gift card and mail it to:<\/p>\n

You Made the Grade
\nPO Box 227398
\nDallas, TX 75222-7398<\/p>\n

Find out more information about the program at the Exchange\u2019s community Hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Social-media-friendly version: <\/strong>Military children from Shaw AFB, USAG Humphreys and Maxwell AFB cashed in their grades for $4,000 in the Exchange\u2019s You Made the Grade sweepstakes. Learn more: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-3bv<\/a><\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing\u00a0valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 51st-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $15 billion\u00a0in earnings that support the military community, including through contributions to critical military Quality-of-Life programs.\u00a0<\/strong>The Exchange is a nonappropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at\u00a0http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0follow us on X at\u00a0https:\/\/x.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a>.<\/u><\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Teonja Tatum, 214-312-6514 or tatumte@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook: www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

X: https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 Three military students turned academic excellence into big rewards, earning a combined $4,000 in Exchange gift cards through the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s You Made the Grade sweepstakes. Mia Mendoza, an 11th grader from the Shaw Air Force Base community was presented with the grand prize of a $2,000 Exchange gift […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":313,"featured_media":12248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25,313],"tags":[160,174,63,33,57,62],"class_list":["post-12245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","category-sweepstakes","tag-aafes","tag-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-military-children","tag-press-release","tag-sweepstakes","tag-you-made-the-grade"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/16\/big-wins-for-bright-minds-three-scholars-earn-4000-in-worldwide-army-air-force-exchange-service-sweepstakes\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Big Wins for Bright Minds: Three Scholars Earn $4,000 in Worldwide Army & Air Force Exchange Service Sweepstakes","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/16\/big-wins-for-bright-minds-three-scholars-earn-4000-in-worldwide-army-air-force-exchange-service-sweepstakes\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/16\/big-wins-for-bright-minds-three-scholars-earn-4000-in-worldwide-army-air-force-exchange-service-sweepstakes\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/YMTG-Winner-Presentation-Ethan-M.-Park_24-FEB-2026-3-e1773424133163.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/YMTG-Winner-Presentation-Ethan-M.-Park_24-FEB-2026-3-e1773424133163.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Teonja Tatum"}],"creator":["Teonja Tatum"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","army & air force exchange service","military children","press release","sweepstakes","you made the grade"],"dateCreated":"2026-03-16T15:00:01Z","datePublished":"2026-03-16T15:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T15:00:01Z"},"rendered":"