Top Cadets Receive Medals For Their Reflective Essays During Pershing Writing Award Ceremony [Image 8 of 11]

WEST POINT, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

05.24.2023

Photo by Eric Bartelt 

United States Military Academy at West Point

The Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic (SCPME) hosted the 17th annual Gen. John J. Pershing Writing Award Ceremony May 24 at the Thayer Award Room. The award recognition ceremony acknowledged the top Firstie cadet awardees: Mercedez Fernandez (first place/gold medal), Jacob Lapin (second place/silver medal), Cora Haefner (third place/bronze medal) and honorable mention recipients Kelsie Edie and Anthony Marco III. Honorable mention awardee Shinkwang Moon was not present at the ceremony.

SCPME is responsible for planning, administration and execution of the MX400 course each year for the Firstie class. Every year, one of the major requirements is the Pershing Reflective Essay. Each cadet, more than 970 this year, is graded on an essay requirement for the course, a Signature Writing Event (SWE), and is a candidate for the Pershing Writing Award.

The MX400 instructors must identify the top essays from their sections, and a selection committee reviews those submissions, identifying the top three from the number submitted. The three cadet authors of the top three reflective essays are honored at the Pershing Award Ceremony during Graduation Week, and are presented a Pershing Medallion – gold, silver and bronze – in recognition of their excellence in producing the highest quality essays in their U.S. Military Academy Class of 2023 this academic year.

The Pershing awards were presented by Dean of the Academic Board Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Mark Quander and SCPME Director Col. James Yastrzemsky.

(Photos by Eric S. Bartelt/PV)

• Date Taken: 05.24.2023
• Date Posted: 05.31.2023 15:26
• Photo ID: 7828324
• VIRIN: 230524-O-ZV784-745
• Resolution: 2400x1600
• Size: 3.11 MB
• Location: WEST POINT, NEW YORK, US