While demonstrating how to put on firefighter gear, freshman Jamie Stephenson shows a crowd of students what it is like to put on the uniform in a timely manner so you can reach the emergencies as fast as possible. “I worked the military expo for the Orange City Fire Cadets and I am going to become a firefighter or paramedic in my future as a career,” Stephenson said. “So I didn’t really get to look around at the other events, but with me working at the expo and doing the fire demonstration made me fall in love with that career even more. But in the end, I loved how the helicopters took off and all of the characteristics of those helicopters.”
(From left to right) With friendly smiles and enthusiasm, sophomores and Red Cross Club members Hailey Banks and Katie Vandehey helped students practice hands-only CPR and what to do incase of a medical emergency. “The Red Cross Club prepared me for the military expo because we became presenters to teach hands-only CPR to the other students who dropped by our booth…” Banks said. “I would definitely do it again because it was a fantastic experience that taught me a lot.”
(From left to right) Amused with the sight of their friends taking other candid photos of them nearby, sophomores Kenya Ramirez and Ali Toledo pose with wide smiles as they capture memories of being on top of an army truck. “My favorite part of the military expo was the fact that I got to interact with the different people that represent the various aspects of the military and the opportunities they can provide for your future,” Ramirez said. “As well as the fun activities we got to try.”
After receiving some free gifts and pamphlets from the GoArmy booth, junior Montraevia Adams laughs at the jokes one of the recruiters said as she waits for her friends to finish the push up challenges. “I’ve learned that there’s a lot of different branches you can go into and that meets what you like to do,” Adams said. “Like for me, I would love to go into the air force one day. It really opened up a lot of different opportunities for me and it’s just an experience I’ll never forget.”
(From left to right) Sophomores Azariah Rodriguez, Amber Puskarik, and senior Helena Santos take pictures inside the army jets and giant airplanes as they laugh at the silly selfies they took. “It was very exciting seeing all the helicopters and all the branches of military there in one place,” Puskarik said. “It was cool listening to the different opportunities that the military has to offer too. I even found the air force very interesting because I would really like to become a pilot one day or something similar to that field. It’s just so thrilling to see what’s new each year and in general it’s really fun.”
(From left to right) As groups of students got to head inside an army jet and explore the different equipment inside, seniors Madelyn Pichardo and Shaniya Smith engage in a conversation with a military sergeant about all the different branches they had. “While I was looking at the different content they had available for us, I was very impressed,” Pichardo said. “It was nice to see the community together encouraging teens to join an interesting, stable career. It was awesome to have the chance to try it and the recruits are very persuasive as well. I’ve thought about it multiple times, [joining the military] but it’s not something that makes me happy… but I do believe the expo has benefited me. I was able to explore different fields and have one on one conversations with people who are experienced in each field.”
Robin is a hard working, straight-A student that is obsessed with creative writing, Oreos, and traveling. She is not sure of what she wants to be when she is older, but hopes it involves lots of adventures.
![(From left to right) As groups of students got to head inside an army jet and explore the different equipment inside, seniors Madelyn Pichardo and Shaniya Smith engage in a conversation with a military sergeant about all the different branches they had. "While I was looking at the different content they had available for us, I was very impressed,” Madelyn said. “It was nice to see the community together encouraging teens to join an interesting, stable career. It was awesome to have the chance to try it and the recruits are very persuasive as well. I've thought about it multiple times, [joining the military] but it's not something that makes me happy... but I do believe the expo has benefited me. I was able to explore different fields and have one on one conversations with people who are experienced in each field."](http://uhspress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_9984.jpg)
