67th CW sends 3 to school

by 2nd Lt. Meredith Hein
24th Air Force Public Affairs

1/28/2014 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Three members of the 67th Cyberspace Wing have earned highly competitive and coveted spots to attend higher education.

Capt. Chad McNally, 1st Lt. Derek Worth, and 1st Lt. Michael Yoo, all of the 83rd Network Operations Squadron, are cyberspace operations officers who were selected for slots for advanced education.

"To me, this is a huge step forward to be accepted to something I've been working toward for about two years," said McNally, who has been accepted to an Education with Industry program.

EWI is an exchange program in which officers and Air Force civilians work with civilian corporations in order to improve management, technical and professional capabilities and to aid in career development, according to the Air Force Institute of Technology website.

Following the EWI program, McNally will return to his career field in cyberspace operations.

"The Air Force is only getting smaller, which means we have to work smarter," said McNally. "As we draw down services and reduce our budget without minimizing our mission, we will be forced to find new solutions to old problems. This program will help me bring back standard business practices into the cyber community."

1st Lt. Derek Worth, who currently serves as the Director of Operations for Detachment 3 of the 83rd NOS, is heading to the Air Force Institute of Technology for a master's degree in computer engineering.

"I'm passionate about engineering and improving processes for cyber systems," said Worth. "I want to be involved in the test, procurement and acquisition of cyber systems and use those to create new capabilities for the Air Force."

Worth says that continuing education is important in today's Air Force.

"You never want to be stagnant," said Worth. "You have to keep stepping out of your comfort zone and apply what you've learned every day."

As for advice for others seeking advanced education: "Keep your nose clean, do really well at your current job and everything else will take care of itself," said Worth.

1st Lt. Michael Yoo was accepted to the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

"It's a great honor to be accepted to medical school. As an officer already on active duty, I'm that much more dedicated to the opportunity to go, and it'll make the transition from a cyber to a medical officer that much easier," said Yoo. "I really appreciate the cyber experience I've had on active duty."

Out of 4,100 applicants Air Force-wide, only 240 slots are available to attend medical school. These slots are divided among U.S. Air Force Academy and Reserve Officer Training Corps graduates, civilians going through Officer Training School and active duty members, the latter of which is the clear minority.

Medical school is followed by a four to five year residency, after which Yoo will be a fully-qualified doctor. In the end, Yoo hopes to be a surgeon.

"I like being hands on and making a direct impact on peoples' lives," said Yoo. "The medical corps is always undermanned. I understand the life of active duty members and am willing to stay on."