Dec. 10, 2021 LEAP Spotlight: Capt. Aigerim Akhmetova “LEAP is a great program and positively impacts our strategic objectives by building and strengthening strategic alliances around the world. My latest LEAP opportunity, which was also my Language Intensive Training Event, was personal. It was personal because it meant I would have the opportunity to
Oct. 20, 2021 LEAP Spotlight: LEAP to Space Force with SMSgt. Adrian Gaxiola “LEAP gave me skills and experiences I would have never gained within my AFSC. It also allowed me to serve in a PME role while being an intelligence professional. Currently, my role is to teach NCOA to Airmen and Guardians while helping the USSF stand up its first Enlisted PME Center. In the future,
Aug. 6, 2021 LEAP Spotlight: Colonel Ceir Coral “As I go into my 36th year of service in the USAF, I can reflect on my opportunities to utilize my language skills and am fortunate to be a part of the tremendous, force-enabling LEAP; I am excited to see the continual growth in language and culture awareness,” Portuguese Brazilian Language Enabled
Aug. 2, 2021 LEAP Spotlight: Maj. Julio “Baxter” Arizmendi Laclaustra “I first found out about the Language Enabled Airman Program at the Air Force Culture and Language Center while in ROTC when my Detachment Commander and early mentor Lt. Col. Delucca notified me about the opportunity to join the program. I was interested and excited to grow professionally while
Aug. 2, 2021 LEAP Spotlight: Special Agent Rory Swafford “A firm understanding of cultural nuances is critical for building international partnerships, and LEAP has undoubtedly been a vital cornerstone in greatly expanding my knowledge base,” Special Agent Rory Swafford said.
July 12, 2021 LEAP Spotlight:1st Lt. James Kiesewetter “A question I’ve often thought about — what does being a part of another culture look and feel like?For me, learning German started when the U.S. Air Force Academy chose what language I would take for one year: German. I fell in love with learning a language, and here I am more than five years
July 12, 2021 LEAP Spotlight with Maj. Wesley Meredith “I joined the Language Enabled Airman Program in 2010 for Swahili, which I learned while growing up and going to school in Kenya. I started with a limited knowledge of Swahili, but through LEAP, I grew my language capabilities. I went on my first Language Intensive Training Event in 2015 to
July 12, 2021 LEAP Spotlight: Tech. Sgt. Emmanuel Franco-Heredia Tech. Sgt. Emmanuel Franco-Heredia completed his master’s degree in Logistics and Transportations in 2018. During that time, he also learned about the Language Enabled Airman Program offered by the Air Force Culture and Language Center.
June 29, 2021 LEAP Spotlight with Capt. Abdulaziz Ali “Fostering America’s talents. This is America’s strength; they draw talents from all parts of the population. I’ve heard some variation of this sentiment from several high-ranking officers during exercise SILENT WARRIOR 20 in Garmisch, Germany. Hosted by SOCAFRICA, the Joint-Combined Exercise
