FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade spotlights Pvt. Isabelle Petrush, multichannel transmission systems operator with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team but currently attached to the 28th ECAB assisting with the help desk.
Petrush is originally from Irwin, Pennsylvania and attends Duquesne University, majoring in pharmacy with a minor in business management. She expects to graduate in May 2023. In addition to her duties in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Petrush keeps herself busy by serving her community in any way she can.
“A big thing for me is giving back,” said Petrush. “I go to school for pharmacy because I want to give back to the community. I’m involved in eight clubs on campus. I’m on the executive board of three of those clubs. I’m involved in Greek life. I’m in a community engaged scholars program. I do eight hours of community service a week. The military allows me to give back on a large scale by giving back to our country. The things I do in my civilian life allow me to give back to my community.”
Petrush is assisting with the help desk during the Warfighter Exercise here and is serving alongside Soldiers in the 28th ECAB’s S-6 group, which manages communication and computer connectivity during the exercise. She says the learning experience has been the most valuable part of the exercise for her.
“I’ve been working a lot with everyone in the S-6 section here and they have been showing me how to do things and then later on they will tell me why we did things the way we did,” said Petrush. “I grasp things better when I understand the mechanisms.”
Petrush initially joined the PAARNG wanting to be a mechanic so she could learn how to fix her own car, but was intrigued by the opportunity to learn about information technology. Although her college major, minor and military duties are all in very different fields, she likes to be diversified and learn about many different things.
“I love learning in general, and that’s what I love about this job,” said Petrush. “It’s really difficult doing health sciences in the civilian world and then doing IT in the military. They’re really different but I like learning. That’s my favorite thing about it.”