Program allows Airman to go back to college

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The pursuit of a college degree is often interrupted.

Tech. Sgt. Chi Pang Cheung, section chief for customer service with Kirtland's 377th Comptroller Squadron, is three semesters away from his biology degree at the University of Maryland. He was stationed near the university prior to coming to Kirtland.

Fortunately for him, Cheung is one of 40 Airmen -- 20 officers, 20enlisted -- accepted into the first-ever Air Force Career Intermission Pilot Program.

The program allows Airmen totake one to three years off active duty, partially paid, focus on personal and professional pursuits.

"I've been looking at different ways to go back to school," he said. "I just wanted to finish my degree. It's abig deal for me."

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III announced the program in July 2014.

"This program offers a few high-performing Airmen the opportunity to focus on priorities outside their military career without having to choose between competing priorities," Welsh said.

Cheung has been in the Air Forcefor almost 12 years.

He is from Hong Kong, having left at age 12,just before governance of the island was transferred from the United Kingdom to China.

His family moved to the San Francisco area and he joined the Air Force. He became a citizen after serving for five years.

His work for the Air Force has been in the area of finance and accounting.

But new career aspirations emerged when was exposed to military medicine. He worked at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., a medical school specifically for members of the Air Force, Army and Navy; the United States Public Health Commissioned Corps, the uniformed civilian health agency headed by the Surgeon General; and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

"I got to work with a lot of medics," he said. "I got a lot of hands-on time."

He started studying biology, which may end up being the first step toward a career in nursing.

"I'll start with the degree and see what doors open up," he said.

The possibility of becoming a commissioned officer is also interesting.

When the program was publicized to Air Force unit commanders, Lt. Col. Tracy Bell, the comptroller squadron's commander, encouraged Cheung to apply. Bell said he wanted Cheung to finish his studies.

Thanks to the program, Cheung will be back at the university in August. He said he's just grateful for this opportunity.

"I'm just very excited to be able to take some time off to pursue my degree," he said. "When you have the chance to break away from your enlisted duties to do something like this, it's great."