Youngstown Airmen help students prepare for adult life

by Maj. Brent J. Davis
910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

4/15/2014 - YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- For the fifth year, members of Youngstown Air Reserve Station deployed to the local community to help students prepare for adult life.

The Mahoning Valley chapter of Junior Achievement, the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs, invited members of YARS to support their JA Career Success outreach program at Choffin Career and Technical Center April 11.

During the two-hour block of instruction, 910th Airmen gave eleventh graders the opportunity to practice what JA calls the four Cs of career success: creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. These are skills that employers regularly look for but uncommonly find amongst job candidates, according to JA.

Air Force Reserve Master Sgt. Kelly Turner, wing career advisor with the 910th Airlift Wing, was a first-time volunteer supporting the program.

"I'm really glad I was able to work with the cosmetology students. The students were really receptive and they told us stories of real situations that they've been in which really added to the learning," she said.

Each volunteer received a kit of materials from JA. The kits included handouts, lesson guides, materials for projects and visual aids. During the program, which was broken into several sessions following specific themes, volunteers were instructed to share experiences from their own careers with the military. The volunteers' military experiences helped demonstrate the real-world applicability of the course material.

Air Force Reserve Senior Airman Marwan Alie, a vehicle maintenance specialist with the 910th Logistics Readiness Squadron, was placed in Jody Taylor's Biotech classroom.

"This was a great experience especially working with students preparing to graduate and trying to find the right direction," Alie said.

"When the Airmen came in and led the activities for the kids, it went better than what I thought it would," said Taylor. "The kids were very involved and very attentive during the two-hour program."

Nicole Fond is Junior Achievement Mahoning Valley's program manager.

"Thanks to the support of the Air Force Reserve and Marines, we were able to inspire and prepare over 85 students for their futures," said Fond.