CAFB airmen inspire students

TUPELO, Miss. – Some 120 personnel from Columbus Air Force Base spent several days showing 7,000 eighth-grade students from 17 northeast Mississippi counties the vast career opportunities of the Air Force at the Imagine the Possibilities Career Expo here Oct. 2-4. The expo was hosted by the CREATE Foundation and sponsored by more than 130 businesses. The CAFB airmen represented seven of the 18 career pathways, including aerospace, emergency management, engineering, government and public administration, health sciences, logistics as well as law and public safety. This was an “opportunity to get out and connect with” with students and other communities, said Maj. Richard Iser, 14th Operations Support Squadron assistant director of operations at CAFB. “It’s about connecting … and trying to inspire (students) to seek education and pursue (their interests).” The “Imagine the Possibilities” Career Expo formed community partnerships to address community challenges of inspiring and motivating students to pursue career goals, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) or medical and aviation. Capt. Chris Litscher’s 14th Student Squadron showed students about the aerospace arena through a variety of fields. Students even got behind the controls of T-6 and T-38 aircraft models. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 10/12/18)