 On Monday, August 28, three UPIKE students from the Kentucky College of Optometry received a full ride scholarship through the Air Force Allied Health Professions Scholarship Program. These students will be pursuing medical careers in the military after graduating to contribute to our armed forces. Each of these students has achieved outstanding academic performance in order to receive the scholarship. Receiving the scholarship is a great honor because it is very competitive first academically and then the process of being approved. And I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to continue doing my studies and then serve in the Air Force for three years, providing eye health care to veterans and service members and their families. If you keep up with it and you, you know, you stay disciplined, it's a very rewarding experience because you learn a lot, not just from the material and becoming a doctor, but in resiliency and staying disciplined. So overall, I'd say it's been great for me. When my baby was born, it was magical. And as she grew, having a hospital close to home with advanced healthcare and specialized physicians being there along the journey was important. And along that journey, many special doctors touched our lives. And then one day, my baby became a woman and a mother herself. Pikeville Medical Center, caring for every moment in life. The Air Force has given these three students the opportunity to continue pursuing higher education. Their goal is to return the favor by providing medical care in the military. I feel elated. This was a very long and drawn out application process. However, I kept pushing through because I knew it would be very rewarding. And so I'm very honored and happy to be awarded the scholarship. All of my professors have been extremely supportive. I probably asked five of them for different letters of recommendation and they all willingly did it. And the university definitely holds us to a high standard. And so I'm glad I was able to put the university in a positive light and be one of the recipients of this award. Reporting from Out in Top News, I'm Nick Collum.