Representatives from the Fort Belvoir Headquarters Battalion and the Public Affairs Office took part in the Minority Student Achievement Career Forum at Mount Vernon High School June 6.
Lt. Col. Dwayne Bowyer, battalion commander; and Pauline Hunter, Public Affairs Office, chief of community relations, each spoke at the event.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to share information and answer questions about career and leadership opportunities as they get closer to completing high school,” Bowyer said.
Representatives from the White House Communications Agency; the National Science Foundation; the University of Maryland School of Medicine; the FBI; the Federal Aviation Administration and Washington, D.C. Police Crime Scene Investigation Unit rounded out the panel.
Each panelist spoke of their experiences in high school and what made them decide to pursue the careers they work in. They also stressed how important it is to build good work habits in high school and how bad decisions in the students’ social lives now can affect them in the future.
Bowyer spoke about what influenced his decision to join the Army.
“I was looking for options to help pay for college,” said Bowyer who attended Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. “After beginning college, I gained a better appreciation for how special it is to be able to serve our nation.
“My college football coach encouraged me to go to an Army ROTC scholarship information brief and interview,” Bowyer said. “That’s how it how it all began.”
Several students stayed after the speaker panel finished and asked questions with topics ranging from the possibility of having a full-time job in multiple career fields to a current medical issue preventing someone from enlisting in the military.
John Tesalona, a senior at Mount Vernon High School, wanted to know how a person’s past can shape their future.
“I’ve been asking people around the neighborhood about their past, and I was kind of curious if people’s regrets have stopped them from what they’re doing and made them go down a different path,” said Tesalona. “I learned that your past makes you who you are now.”
Tesalona, who is set to join the U.S. Marine Corps and would like to eventually work in game design or massage therapy, said he found the fair to be very inspiring.
“I think people now can understand what’s going on in society and how the economic crisis is going down,” said Tesalona. “Everyone needs to be more realistic and get their life started.”
Beatrice Asuaa, a sophomore at Mount Vernon who wants to work in the medical field, said the fair taught her how hard she is going to have to work to achieve her goal.
“You have to work hard in high school, and you have to make sure that whatever you go in to, you are passionate about it,” Asuaa said. “So, I’m taking classes right now to help me get some of the basics about the medical field.”
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