New DISA chief lauds scholarship recipients

Navy Rear Adm. Elizabeth Hight, vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, praised 17 high school students today who were selected for college scholarships by AFCEA International’s Washington, D.C., chapter.Hight will become director of DISA in July after Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Croom retires. She said she is optimistic about America's future if it is in the hands of students such as those honored at today's luncheon. The 17 students from the Washington metro area each received $7,000 from the organization.She said she is encouraged that the letters of recommendation teachers wrote for the students frequently referred to their enthusiasm for math and science.She was also pleased that half of the students had traveled outside the United States, and one or two were born in other countries. "They have an awareness of the world and where they will fit into this world," she said.All the students are members of honor societies and are taking advanced placement courses, and some have been active in student government, she noted.However, Hight warned the students that they now owe a debt to AFCEA, which they can repay by succeeding and remaining part of the AFCEA community."We have invested in you," she said. "Our hopes are riding on you."