RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - UNC Charlotte is congratulating nursing school graduate Kailey Filter, who was recently named the U.S. Air Force Cadet of the Year.

"This is absolutely the highest award given to an Air Force cadet. Out of over 16,000 AFROTC and U.S. Air Force Academy cadets, 2nd Lt. Filter was chosen as the best of the best by the Air Force Chief of Staff,” said Lt. Col. Richard Sanders, commander of the AFROTC detachment at UNC Charlotte, in a statement posted to the university's website.

Kelly Powers, assistant professor of nursing in the College of Health and Human Services, taught Filter and was her clinical rotation supervisor. She called the cadet’s ability to balance commitments "amazing."