Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day allows students to experience parents' job

U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville
Published April 29, 2015
Carmen Perez-De La Matta, Chemical Demilitarization Directorate and daughter Tatiana Ayala take a break from activities to organize student certificates for closing program.

Carmen Perez-De La Matta, Chemical Demilitarization Directorate and daughter Tatiana Ayala take a break from activities to organize student certificates for closing program.

150423-A-LJ771-018- Alan Fearns, Contracting Directorate, hands out prizes from  toy store during Contracting's money game.

150423-A-LJ771-018- Alan Fearns, Contracting Directorate, hands out prizes from toy store during Contracting's money game.

Team Bravo students build Corps marshmallow tower with assistance from Sgt. 1st Class Betsy Weintraub and Lanita Bonds, Installation Support and Programs Management Directorate.

Team Bravo students build Corps marshmallow tower with assistance from Sgt. 1st Class Betsy Weintraub and Lanita Bonds, Installation Support and Programs Management Directorate.

Building marshmallow towers, looking for heat sources using an infrared camera and flying a kite helped children of U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, understand the types of careers their parents supported when they left home for work every day.

More than 90 children in grades Pre-K through 12 registered to take part in the Center’s Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, April 23.

Activities throughout the day included static displays; Science Technology, Engineering and Math activities; and business career discussions. Employees presented architecture and interior design, civil and structural engineering, project management and geotechnical careers. There was also a drone technology demonstration, architectural projects and a wind technology workshop. The business sessions were filled with individual career presentations, skillset awareness activities and teambuilding exercises.

Static displays included a variety of unexploded ordnance artifacts and several drone technologies. Sgt. Woof, a mascot for the Army Environmental Command, mixed and mingled with the children, emphasizing the 3Rs of unexploded ordnance safety: Recognize, Retreat, Report.

Huntsville Center Commander Col. Robert Ruch kicked off the event by explaining how the command is organized and its missions and showing a short video. He then invited the children to explore the variety of career discussions set up at the organization.

"We are very proud and appreciative of your parents and what they do to help military families across the globe. I'm glad you get to spend time with them here and hope you learn about and appreciate what they do,” Ruch said.

In the afternoon, employees were encouraged to take their children to their own work areas. There were also afternoon activities where students learned about wind technology at a kite flying workshop.

"I'm having a great time here, lots of fun things to do,” said Ariel Archibald, granddaughter of Installation Support and Programs Management Directorate’s Bonnie Smith. “We got some great prizes, too. I don't want it to end!"

Other children said they felt the same way about the variety of demonstrations, including the "marshmallow challenge" construction activity and a "what color is your money" money management game.

"Taking part in the activities just makes me realize my mom has a very important job,” said Harold Gilmore, a ninth-grader at Bob Jones High School, as he watched his mother Carrie Gilmore, Resource Management Directorate, speak during the business career presentations. "Of everything I heard during the business presentations – what stood out the most is when the public affairs person asked why no one sat in the front seat (leader) seat. I learned a valuable lesson about how you can't pass up on any leadership opportunity."

Besides sharing this experience with their offspring, Huntsville Center employees said they recognized the importance of showing them what they do on a daily basis.

"It is important for them to see what is part of our world, so they have an insight to what we do during those hours away from home, " said Jelani Ingram, father to attendees Schaefer and Ellason Ingram. "This is also a great opportunity for them to see the different levels of technology around us, to hopefully spark their interest since they will be the ones taking over these projects in the future. My girls are really enjoying the activities."

Fifteen-year-old Tatiana Ayala, a ninth-grader at Columbia High School and daughter of Chemical Demilitarization Directorate's Carmen Perez-De La Matta, got the message her mother hoped to convey and enjoyed everything she had an opportunity to experience.

"I like everything we did here, and it was great to see how my mom helps others by doing her job well. She is a very hard worker. I'm glad I got a chance to help her get the students registered for the event and work on some other projects,” Ayala said.

When asked what she would like to do when she grew up, she proved exactly how valuable Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is. She said without a doubt, "after seeing this stuff and taking in all the activities, I want to be like my mom."