Santa Rosa students recognized

MILTON — Here are highlights involving area students: 

• Benjamin Dobry, a Gulf Breeze resident, is now contracted with the University of Alabama's Air Force ROTC detachment.

  Dobry, a graduate of Gulf Breeze High School, was one of 20 UA undergraduates sworn into UA's Air Force ROTC detachment on Sept. 21 at "Bama Salute," a UA Athletics-sponsored event that honors active duty military members and veterans at various UA sporting events throughout the year.

  The UA cadets were sworn in during halftime of a UA soccer game in front of nearly 700 people, an atypical but celebrated venue and audience, as contracting ceremonies are typically low-key, with family and other cadets and ROTC cadre present.

  After completing all Air Force ROTC and academic degree requirements, contracted cadets — cadets in the Professional Officer Course and scholarship cadets — accept a commission as second lieutenants in the Air Force, appointed by the president of the United States.

• American University of Antigua College of Medicine, an international medical school in the Caribbean, announced the introduction of its new class.

  Elizabeth Lirette of Santa Rosa County earned the white coat during a ceremony that marks the first step in students’ journeys toward becoming doctors. That lengthy process begins with a short coat for students of medicine, and ends with a long coat as students transition into practice.

• Nicholas Lloyd, a Gulf Breeze resident, enrolled at Belmont University this semester as part of the University's largest class yet.

  The school kicked off the year with a record-breaking enrollment for the 17th consecutive year with a total of 8,080 students, nearly triple the enrollment in 2000.

Editor's Note: An updated version of this article includes clarifications on the American University of Antigua College of Medicine's education process. 

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Santa Rosa students recognized