Photo By Staff Sgt. Miranda Loera | Students from the Nellis Airman Leadership School, prepare to perform reveille at...... read more read more
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Five weeks. 24 academic days. 192 hours.
This is the formula of every Airman’s leadership foundation.
Airman Leadership School prepares Senior Airman and recently appointed Staff Sergeants for their new roles as supervisors. During these weeks, the Airman will re-learn what it takes to be a ‘true’ Airman. From Airmanship to the Core Values to Professionalism, reinstating that Air Force mentality is a focal point not only for the Airmen attending but also the instructors.
“ALS is the first introduction that every Airman has to becoming a leader,” said Master Sgt. Allison Cain, Nellis ALS commandant. “During this course, we reinforce general Air Force knowledge, teach them about how they fit into the bigger picture, and the importance of networking amongst other topics. It’s always amazing to see a class go through from start to finish because they come to this course as junior enlisted Airmen but they leave as forward thinking leaders and front line supervisors.”
While most Air Force installations provide ALS opportunities, Nellis boast the largest ALS student base in Air Combat Command and they are responsible for training approximately 600 Airmen per year from Nellis, Creech, NTTR, Ft. Irwin, Guard, Reserve, other bases as needed, and Guardians from the Space Force.
Cain says, one of the best parts about ALS is that it presents an opportunity for Airmen to step outside of their comfort zones and learn from other students.
“They build connections and learn about each other’s jobs and how they play a role in our mission,” said Cain. “Some of the connections made in ALS will last a lifetime.”
With the task of building future leaders, Tech. Sgt. Jonathan D. Bautista, ALS instructor, explained his style of teaching varies from class-to-class because it’s based on how students respond to his “signature question.”
On the first day, Bautista always asks his students what they hope to gain from the class and the answers are always different but similar: become a better leader, be a good supervisor, networking skills, learn to inspire and/or motivate, be comfortable with public speaking, and so on.
The students don’t typically know this, but Bautista uses these answers to drive the course curriculum and ensure that every student is able to get the most out of the course.
“Every class is different so my approach is always different for each class, but at the same time I always try to tie everything back into the ALS curriculum,” said Bautista. “I always hope students gain a new perspective and appreciation for the Air Force. I know I personally learn something new from each one of the Airman that come through my class room, and I hope they always learn something from me and my personal experiences.”
Throughout the course, the students have the opportunity to conduct speeches, write research papers, complete examinations and work together as teams.
“All-in-all, we hope the students can network and create bonds,” said Staff Sgt. Negleatta Davis, ALS instructor. “We are all in the class together. We are a family. Each and every person is important and I want them to understand that at the end of the course and even after graduation.”
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2021 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 403746 |
| Location: | NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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