Photo By Staff Sgt. Shanice Ship | U.S. Air Force Capt. Patricia Urbick, 494th Fighter Squadron weapons systems officer,...... read more read more
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ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England- The Lakenheath Brownies invited a Liberty Wing aircrew member to talk to the young girls about aviation during their monthly meeting in Lakenheath, England, Oct. 30.
U.S. Air Force Captain Patricia Urbick, 494th Fighter Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle weapons systems officer, had the opportunity to engage with the girls to spark and boost their interest and confidence in aviation careers.
“I jumped at the opportunity when I saw the email that the Lakenheath village Brownies were interested in speaking with aircrew, because I had so much I wanted to share with them,” Urbick said. “I was a Brownie myself so this is near and dear to my heart.”
Urbick shared age-appropriate technical data in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, mirroring the STEM initiative. Her goal was to empower and encourage young girls to reach for their career dreams.
“It sounds like it would be quite scary but it also sounds really cool,” said one Brownie. “She gets to fly upside down, shoot weapons and tell the pilot what to do.”
Urbick’s enthusiasm for flight and aviation provided the group of girls an inspiring experience.
“The path to be a WSO or a pilot is really extensive and academically intense,” Urbick said. “My hope is to put the idea in their heads early so they understand that they too can start working towards their career in aviation if they want to.”
Both the U.S. and the UK have recently invested in initiatives to nurture young minds who may have an interest in technical careers through the DoDSTEM and STEM Learning organizations.
Cheryl Hammond, Brownie leader, recognized the opportunity to follow suit at a more local level.
“The girls thoroughly enjoyed the visit and parents reported them chatting about it for days. I think they were surprised and shocked to hear that females could be pilots, go to war and fight,” Hammond said. “Watching them develop from shy young girls into adults and seeking their careers, if we have helped in some small way to enable them to explore these opportunities then we have done well.”
According to Hammond, Girl Guiding is particularly interested in getting more girls involved in STEM activities. This places importance on introducing girls into careers which they might not have considered before.
“There are stereotypes and people out there that may discourage young girls from believing they could get into this career field. I hope that they can see me as a role model because it’s important for them to know that they can,” Urbick said. “I want them all to know that they can do whatever it is that they put their minds to.”
| Date Taken: | 10.30.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.07.2019 07:46 |
| Story ID: | 350851 |
| Location: | BRANDON, SFK, GB |
| Web Views: | 300 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Liberty Wing warrior woman inspires local brownies to soar, by SSgt Shanice Ship, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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