Technical Sergeant Melanie Dufresne, a member of the 88th Surgical Operations Squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, was the top graduate of 186 Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) Wednesday, June 2. Sgt. Dufresne was presented the John L. Levitow award for her accomplishments at the NCO Academy during the class graduation ceremony at the I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base.

The John L. Levitow award is the highest honor awarded a graduate of any Air Force enlisted professional military education course. Named for Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. John L. Levitow, it is presented to the one student who not only demonstrates academic excellence, but also the outstanding attributes of leadership, military bearing, and dedication to the mission and spirit of the total Air Force.

"You can't win something like this without others involved," said Sgt. Dufresne of her win. "I just feel really honored and humbled that my instructor and my peers thought I was worthy of it."

"She is very deserving of this award," said Technical Sergeant Darrell Crowe, Sgt. Dufresne's NCO Academy flight instructor. "When it comes to everything we teach here, everything from leadership qualities to communication, she's it, the whole package. She sets the example for all of us to follow."

The NCO Academy is a sixweek in-residence course. Students learn and study curriculum in the areas of the profession of arms, leadership, and communication to build the skills they need for their current rank and to prepare for future responsibilities.

"I had a really, really good experience here," said Sgt. Dufresne. "It was tough. The curriculum is hard...but I know I'm taking more back than I came here with...and that was my goal, to come here and learn."

Sgt. Dufresne is a 1998 graduate of Cedarville High School. She resides in Ohio with her husband, Eric, and their three children, Blaine, Cody, and Stella.