Capt. Marisha Malik, a Holton-Arms ’98 graduate from Potomac, was named one of the 2007 Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Jaycees. Malik will be honored at the 69th annual Ten Outstanding Young Americans black-tie awards ceremony in Omaha, Neb. on Sept. 22.
Malik has been a resident of Potomac since her birth. Her parents still live in Potomac. Marisha was a ten-year student at The Holton-Arms School and graduated in 1998. She served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps while there, and obtained her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice in 2002 from The University of Arizona and joined the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant.
Malik is currently Officer in Charge of the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Capt. Malik leads large groups of disciplined teams delivering combat-ready aircraft, equipment and personnel. She leads, trains, and equips professional officers and enlisted technicians supporting multiple aerospace equipment sustainment and operational requirements. She maintains and modifies multi-million-dollar aircraft enabling America's war fighting capabilities which ensure phenomenal support to our national security interests. Capt. Malik was twice decorated for superior performance in support of our nation's Global War on Terror: once in Operation Iraqi Freedom and once for Operation Enduring Freedom.
Capt. Malik is only one class away from her Master of Aeronautical Science degree with a specialization in Aerospace Management through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA.
The Ten Outstanding Young Americans program (TOYA) is one of the oldest and most prestigious recognition programs in America. Annually since 1938, The United States Jaycees has sought out the ten young men and women who best exemplify the finest attributes of America’s youthful achievers. Nominees must be between the ages of 18 and 40, and their accomplishments and contributions are judged in relation to the Jaycee Creed: “That earth’s great treasure lies in human personality, and that service to humanity is the best work of life.”
Previous winners include Presidents John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Bill Clinton, and Vice Presidents Al Gore, Dan Quayle, and Richard Cheney. Also honored were Howard Hughes, Orson Wells, Elvis Presley, Nelson Rockefeller, Ted Kennedy, dogsled champion Susan Butcher, and actors Christopher Reeve, and Shannon Reed.