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Three UNC-Chapel Hill Air Force cadets make history as first to be selected for U.S. Space Force

UNC-Chapel Hill Air Force ROTC cadet Avery Berg.
Courtesy Elise Bermingham
UNC-Chapel Hill Air Force ROTC cadet Avery Berg.

The three sophomores were selected to be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Space Force after they graduate.

Three sophomore cadets will be the first from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Air Force ROTC to be selected as officers into the U.S. Space Force. The selection process for the Space Force changes every year.

Avery Berg is a cadet with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Air Force ROTC and one of the three selected to commission in the Space Force.

“This year, we mainly had to fill out a very short questionnaire and an application of interest,” she said. “So, it was really very interview-based, and then they also used our GPA as [well as] other determining factors.”

This summer, Berg is headed to field training, a place where college sophomore cadets get evaluated on leadership. It’s one of the requirements for her to be commissioned.

“I love the idea of joining something that was just so new and I think there's less than 10,000 officers and enlisted members in the Space Force,” Berg said. “So being a part of something that's so pivotal in our line of defense…it caught my eye!”

Berg and the other two cadets — Juliana Boerema and Gabriel Palmer — are expected to commission into the Space Force after they graduate in 2025.

Sharryse Piggott is WUNC’s PM Reporter.
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