Cadet Named Rhodes Scholar

Senior Airman Veronica Ward
U.S. Airforce Academy

An Air Force cadet senior distance runner was awarded one of 32 Rhodes Scholarships for 2014 on Nov. 22.

Cadet 1st Class Rebecca Esselstein, from Dayton, Ohio, is a senior at the U.S. Air Force Academy majoring in astronautical engineering and the Academy's 38th recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, the 12th cadet-athlete to earn the honor.

Currently serving as a Flight Commander, Esselstein is a three-time member of the Dean's Aces List and has been named to the Superintendent's List for excellence in military, academic and athletic performance in five of six semesters. She has done research at M.I.T. on radar and infrared signatures, and was an Aspen Institute Socrates Program Scholar studying the U.S. Supreme Court.

"I couldn't have done this without all the help and support I've had along the way," Esselstein said over the weekend. "My mentors within the faculty have been exceptional, and so has my support system both in squad and down at the track."  

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