Three Academic Achievers Earn $4,000 in Exchange’s You Made the Grade Sweepstakes

Three military kids learned studying hard pays off as winners of the Exchange’s You Made the Grade sweepstakes.

Air Base Aviano third grader Lysander Brown, son of Maj. Dexter Brown, was presented with the grand-prize $2,000 Exchange gift card. Fort Belvoir sixth grader Jorlan Delgado, son of Maj. Jorge Delgado, received his second-place prize of $1,500. A Fort Johnson ninth grader earned the third-place prize of $500.

“I was really, really surprised,” Jorlan said about learning he was a winner. “It was like Christmas or something.”

The winners were randomly selected from more than 1,170 military students who entered the drawing after maintaining at least a B average during the 2024 fall semester.

“We’ve only entered one time, but never thought we would actually win,” Maj. Brown said. “We really appreciate the program.”

For more than 25 years, the Exchange’s You Made the Grade program has rewarded students in first through 12^th grade for above-average grades to encourage and inspire them to continue studying hard.

Military children with a B average or higher can bring their report cards each grading period to their local PX or BX for a $10 or $20 gift card as well as a coupon sheet, which includes:

A free small fountain, frozen drink or bubbler beverage.
A free kid’s meal at a participating Exchange restaurant.
A free combo meal at a participating Exchange restaurant.
A free kid’s hair service at The Barber Shop, Hair Studios, or Stylique beauty salons.
10% off any pair of headphones (excluding Apple and Beats).
10% off apparel and footwear.
A $5 coupon for Exchange mall concessions or kiosks.
An entry for the worldwide sweepstakes.

“Children belonging to military families face a great deal of uncertainty, such as a parent deploying or moving often, that can disrupt schooling,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Rich Martinez, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “The Exchange’s You Made the Grade program seeks to recognize and honor students of military families for their resiliency inside the classroom.”

The next drawing will take place in June.