Ironhorse sponsors ‘Groundhog Job Shadow Day’

Photo By Lt. Col. Angel Jackson | Atlanta native Sgt. Kettisha Howard (left), a paralegal clerk assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 115th Brigade Support Battalion “Muleskinners,” 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, explains the process of a legal packet to Killeen, Texas, native Tiffany Moore (right), a junior at Robert M. Shoemaker High School during Groundhog Job Shadow Day Jan. 30, at Fort Hood, Texas.  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

01.30.2013

Story by Capt. Angel Jackson 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

FORT HOOD, Texas – Local area high school students substituted a day of academics for a day on the job, hoping to get a better understanding of how education prepares them for a career.

The 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, sponsored 17 students during the 16th Annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day here, Jan. 30.

The students were paired with Ironhorse leaders whose military occupational specialties were closest to the job they would like to pursue after graduation.

Their professional interests ranged from video game designer to social work, but one common interest with almost all the students was a career in the military.

Killeen High School sophomore Krista Masters has several options she would like to pursue after graduation, and as a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps student, becoming a military officer is definitely on the list.

“I was thinking about pursuing a career as an officer in the military and I wasn’t really sure what it consisted of, or if I could really handle it, so I kind of wanted to see what it was,” Masters explained.

Simi Valley, Calif., native Capt. Cathy Zimmerman, a logistics officer assigned to the Ironhorse Brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, walked Masters through a typical day at work for her.

Zimmerman’s goal was to show Masters the military is not just about what you see on TV.

“I want her to know that the military is not all about kicking doors in that we do have every day jobs of supply and dentistry and legal,” Zimmerman said. “The options are endless in the military.”
“[Zimmerman] goes out and organizes everything,” said Masters. “She’s like three steps ahead of everything. I like to do that actually.”

Robert M. Shoemaker junior Tiffany Moore knows she wants to become an attorney in the Air Force.

She spent the day with Atlanta native Sgt. Kettisha Howard, a paralegal clerk assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 115th Brigade Support Battalion.

“I just wanted to get a better understanding and actually see what you guys do on a daily basis because you don’t really know until you’re actually there,” Moore said about why she participated in Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

Moore says she would rather practice law in the military because she wants the experience and leadership skills the military has to offer.

Howard said having Moore shadow her for the day was a great experience. She introduced Moore to officers and enlisted soldiers in the legal office and let her know how everyone works together.

When asked what she hopes Moore gains from the experience Howard said, “Study, study, study, get good grades, go to a good school and if she wants to join the military, hopefully she’ll follow her dreams and go in as an officer."

Groundhog Job Shadow Day is sponsored by the City of Killeen Volunteer Services and the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce Public Education Adopt-A-School Committee.

• Date Taken: 01.30.2013
• Date Posted: 02.04.2013 21:15
• Story ID: 101461
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US
• Hometown: ATLANTA, GA, US
• Hometown: SIMI VALLEY, CA, US