FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. – While many students spent their summer relaxing in the sun, three rising high school seniors contributed to active projects at U.S. Army Garrison Fort George G. Meade through a five-week internship here, providing them an invaluable preview of possible career fields before their final year of high school.
The students learned the importance of networking, received hands-on experience, and gained insight into what options may be available after completing high school — all before donning a cap and gown.
Kedus Samson spent his internship in the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division. Upon arriving, he found his expectations of military base life completely changed.
“At first, I thought there would be Soldiers always marching around out here,” Samson said. “But now, it seems more like a mini-city.”
During his time at DPW, Samson received hands-on experience working on the new Freedom Center barracks.
“It’s cool to see how they do their job,” Samson said. “Everyone has been very nice, and everybody enjoys what they do, so they have a lot of information to share.”
Alex Overman, Conservation and Restoration Branch chief and mentor to Samson, shared the importance of opportunities like this to expose young people to the vital work of government agencies.
“It instills a sense that public service is critical to not only the Army, but the country as a whole,” Overman said. “These opportunities are fantastic for young kids, college students or grad school students.”
Having an intern on the team gave the Environmental Division a valuable new perspective about ongoing projects. “It gives us another set of fresh eyes on problems,” Overman said. “We see these problems every day and sometimes we get blinded. But Samson asking questions re-engages us and allows us to reevaluate things.”
As enlightening as the experience was for Samson, another intern in the program at DPW described the experience of working in an active work zone as thrilling.
“You have to be aware of your surroundings,” Christian Amos noted, highlighting the real-world pressures and responsibilities of an engineer.
Participating in this internship has already begun to shape Amos’ career plans.
“It gave me an idea about maybe pursuing [engineering] at some point,” he said. “I am still thinking of some other things as well, but this is definitely one that I may consider.”
Amos’ mentor, John Zambrano, DPW Design Branch chief, explained how Amos contributed to ongoing installation projects.
“We had Amos take a look at formal engineering drawings and things along those lines to see how you visually show the project and eventually construct it,” Zambrano said.
Zambrano considers mentorship a necessity in the engineering field.
“It’s a lot of hard work studying the basics. However, most of the engineering skills you develop are actually on the job,” Zambrano said. “You can’t cover all the details in four years of schooling, but you can cover it in a career. If you pass that information down, you can share that knowledge and insight.”
Sharing knowledge and insight was not confined to mentors at DPW, nor was it limited to those in the program from outside the installation.
Landon Cox, who interned at the Public Affairs Office and the Family Advocacy Program, said even as a military child, working for the garrison changed his perception of what working for an Army installation is like.
“It made it more eye-opening and taught me what [garrisons] do to help their workers,” Cox said. During his internship, Cox got hands-on experience working with Fort Meade families.
“It was very interesting to see how military families work,” he said. “I recently learned about the Domestic Abuse Victim Advocacy Program and how it strives to help military families get the services they need to be in a better situation.”
Celena Flowers, supervisory social worker at FAP and a mentor to Cox, explained how interns represent an opportunity to invest in the next generation.
“These are individuals who will carry forward the empathy, service and resilience that are at the heart of our profession,” Flowers said. “Opportunities like these help students grow into confident, capable professionals who understand both the rewards and responsibilities of serving military families.”
Flowers also shared how interns are vital to strengthening prevention and education programs. “They bring a fresh perspective, new energy and a willingness to learn,” Flowers said. “Their perspectives help us ensure that every family receives attention and their presence reinforces a commitment to continuous learning within our office.”
The internships were managed through the FutureSuccess program from Anne Arundel County Workforce Development (AAWDC), a nonprofit corporation that provides workforce development services to county businesses and residents. According to its mission statement, AAWDC serves as “the bridge between understanding the workforce and talent development needs of local and regional businesses and preparing individuals to meet their full career potential.” This is the first year the FutureSuccess program has partnered with Fort Meade.
Before their first day on-site, interns were provided workplace readiness training on topics such as communication, presentability, and the appropriate use of phones and devices in the workplace. All interns were also assigned a career coach who was responsible for visiting and shadowing the interns weekly. The coaches also were charged with providing direct feedback to the interns based on observations and supervisor comments, remaining available for any questions or concerns an intern had during their internship.
Editor's Note: The FutureSuccess program is just one of many workforce initiatives run by AAWDC. To support community career growth, AAWDC offers targeted programs for several demographics: