Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division honored 36 new Engineer and Scientist Development Program graduates during ceremonies Oct. 11 and 12 in China Lake and Point Mugu, California.

ESDPs complete three to five years of rotational tours, mentoring, and a minimum of 300 hours of training in addition to training toward receiving their Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level 2 certification.

This year’s ESDP graduates hold a wide range of degrees from more than 20 colleges and universities across the country – and one from Athens, Greece. Their personal interests include their pets, music, hiking, Kung Fu, and gaming, to name a few. That diversity of education, thought, and backgrounds makes NAWCWD stronger, said Dan Carreño, NAWCWD’s executive director.

“Diversity is not just about what your degree is, but also what your experiences are,” he added. “The best ideas come when you have a lot of backgrounds and perspectives on the team.”

Carreño recommended that graduates keep contact with the networks and mentors they gained during their ESDP experience.

“I promise you 30 years from now you’re going to remember some of them and need their support. Keep building those relationships.”

Rear Adm. Keith Hash, NAWCWD commander, encouraged graduates to find a good work-life balance to ensure they can bring their “whole selves” to solving the challenge of delivering capabilities the warfighters need at a cost they can afford.

“There are hard problems that we need you all, as our up-and-coming leaders, to take on and get after,” he said. “We need you to take care of yourselves, to be physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy. You are now the leaders, and we expect amazing things from you.”

Fall 2022 ESDP graduates are:

Aaron Bunch, Adam Kollman, Adam Sher, Alejandra Perez, Alexandra Edwards, Austin Ogilvie, Baofan Pacheco, Christian Aranda, Christophyr Kline, Dennis Wu, Elijah Grubbs, Emily Karr, Eric Bohanan, Greg Kommel, Jason R. Stockton, John Mumford, Jomar Gonzalo, Joshua Miles, Kayla Rhynes, Kelly Alder, Lenny Mendoza, Lydia Amador, Mary Catherine Buckley, Michael LaBarbera, Morgan Eudy, Myrka Montaño, Nathan Rodriguez, Nicholas Pio, Niko Hatzopoulos, Rachel Finley, Ricardo Barreto, Rio Patraw, Thomas Crouse, Todd Dames, Ulysses Martinez Velázquez, and Yadier Manzanares.