NPS students Ensigns Ellen Bradford, left, and Rebecca Greenberg, right, listen to Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Distinguished Professor Xiaoping Yun during his lecture in their optimal control systems course in Spanagel Hall, July 7.

Bradford and Greenberg are members of the latest class of U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Admiral Frank Bowman Scholars program recipients. Twenty ensigns were selected from their 2016 USNA graduating class, and upon commissioning, continue on to NPS as master's candidates.

Each of the Bowman Scholars has a compelling story along their path to NPS. Bradford, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, just returned from the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. During her time at the Academy, Bradford was a highly-decorated swimmer winning multiple Patriot League titles, and was awarded Scholar Athlete of the Year three times.

"It's such an honor to receive all the awards, but I didn't know those awards existed until I was told that I got them," Bradford said during an interview with her hometown newspaper. "Mostly I had just been working hard for four years just doing the best I could because that's what I was raised to do."

Ensign Jim Catina, a native of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, has also caught the attention of Navy leadership. While at USNA, he led a research team studying the use of additive manufacturing for rocket propulsion applications. The research was recognized by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus in the 2015 SECNAV Innovation Awards, selected from more than 300 research projects across the Department of the Navy.