Capt. Will Triplett, Executive Assistant, Director of Navy Staff, received the Stars and Stripes Award, Feb. 9, in Washington.

Vice Adm. Kevin "Kid" Donegan, director, Navy Staff, presented the award to Triplett at the Stars and Stripes dinner held during the 2018 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Conference.

The award recognizes the significant accomplishments of African-Americans in government and industry who have achieved exceptional career gains in STEM fields.

It is given to active and retired admirals, generals, and members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) who have supported their service's efforts in membership, diversity, and value based service to the Nation. They, must have proven themselves to be of exemplary character and outstanding ability in their field and be a personal advocate for STEM advances.

Triplett, a native of Baltimore and graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, previously served as Commander, Destroyer Squadron 9, and has been promoting STEM activities for several years.

"We want to promote (STEM) majors in colleges and career fields within the African American community and bring exposure to the military achievements that have been made and the success that is possible," said Triplett. "The Navy is highly technical and we need Sailors who not only have an affinity for this 'stuff' but can operate our advanced equipment and get the job done."

He wants to promote STEM learning to help those wanting to reap the same benefits as others going into the field. He advises students and young professionals to keep working and setting goals, saying there's nothing that can stop them from moving up in their career.

"They must work hard, but, also enjoy the journey," said Triplett. "There are a lot of opportunities that the Navy offers and they should take advantage of them. That's when those doors will start to open

The BEYA Stars and Stripes dinner recognizes service men and women from around the country who demonstrate outstanding performance in a technical field and show great potential for shaping the future course of engineering, science, math and technology.

The dinner is held annually during the BEYA conference, attracting thousands of STEM professionals.

Promoting excellence in STEM, BEYA holds many events each year, including roundtable discussions with CEOs, professional seminars and STEM career fairs. Its on-site and sustained mentoring program mentors high-school students year-round.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.