JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Members of the 459th Air Refueling participated in the 12th annual Virginia Department of Transportation Career Fair at the Prince William Fairgrounds, Manassas, Virginia, Oct. 6, 2016.
“The purpose of this event is to encourage and prepare [high school] students for careers in transportation-related fields, such as engineering, architecture, technology, environmental engineering, construction, and support services, and to provide information for students to understand how various disciplines can result in careers in the transportation and/or construction industries,” said Carolyn M. Wolcott, Virginia MegaProjects civil rights program manager.
Members of the 459th, to include recruiters, boom operators, and aeromedical staging and evacuation members came out to demonstrate their careers in the Air Force Reserve, talk with students about prospective occupations as a Citizen Airman and how to join the AFR.
“We like to support this event to help young men and women learn about the opportunities the Air Force Reserve has,” said Tech. Sgt. Hakim Tutt, 459th ARW recruiter. “We’ve had more than 25 persons interested so far that say, ‘I want to go to school but I don’t know how I’m going to pay for it, or how my parents are going to pay for it.’ And we are telling them you can do one weekend a month and get assistance.”
The annual event is a great way to reach many young and curious minds, and provide them an opportunity to explore options perhaps otherwise unknown to them.
“The intent is to expose students to opportunities within the transportation industry, to include the industry as an option when they plan their college major or when they need to make plans immediately after graduation,” said Wolcott. “Its purpose is to plant the seed about transportation careers in their minds. The intended end result is a more robust future workforce for transportation-related careers.”
For many students, a transportation-related career field in the AFR such as aeromedical evacuation is the next step in the progression of their young career.
“I’m an outdoor emergency care technician with the National Ski Patrol,” said a 16-year-old student from T.C. Williams. “I think the military can be really fun, there are a lot of opportunities. I love my country so it could be a good path for me.”
For more information about joining transportation related careers with the 459th, call 240-857-6895.