U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground Soldiers and engineers talk careers with local students

Photo By Mark Schauer | Sgt. 1st Class Drew Oliver (right) and Staff Sgt. Ahmed Elinbabi of U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG)’s Airborne Test Force help a student volunteer try on a parachute at a career day event held by Somerton Middle School in Somerton, Arizona on May 20. The two Soldiers and four civilian engineers talked with six different classrooms full of students about YPG’s important mission testing virtually every piece of equipment a Soldier is likely to shoot, drive, or wear.  

SOMERTON, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES

05.23.2022

Story by Mark Schauer 

U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

What do you want to be when you grown up?

For adolescents, the question oftentimes is ill-defined.

To help fill in the blanks, Soldiers and engineers from across U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) spent the morning of May 20 in Somerton, Arizona at Somerton Middle School’s Career Day.

The YPG contingent talked with six different classrooms full of students about YPG’s important mission testing virtually every piece of equipment a Soldier is likely to shoot, drive, or wear.

Sgt. 1st Class Drew Oliver and Staff Sgt. Ahmed Elinbabi of YPG’s Airborne Test Force showed some of the tools of their daring trade, letting volunteers try on a parachute while wowing them with the ins and outs of their test mission.

“I like being involved in the community, and like that this unit does a lot in the community,” said Elinbabi. “I didn’t really get these types of opportunities when I was coming up in other parts of the Army. It’s fun to see kids look at something I see every day and be amazed by it.”

The four civilian engineers-- brothers Carlos and Arturo Anaya, Steve Flores, and Joshua Magana—hail from Somerton and shared the facets of their job testing military equipment. They also talked about their first experiences hearing about YPG at career day events when they were the students’ age.

“There was a career fair at school, and YPG had a remote-controlled vehicle on the playground,” recalled Arturo Anaya. Flores, meanwhile, remembered seeing video footage of a helicopter firing a missile.

“I think it’s important,” Flores said of the event. “Young kids need to be exposed to as many career options as possible: if you don’t know what is out there, you don’t know what to chase.”

“Being put on kids’ radars and seeing people from this area in these career fields makes them realize it is possible,” added Magana.

• Date Taken: 05.23.2022
• Date Posted: 05.23.2022 14:36
• Story ID: 421310
• Location: SOMERTON, ARIZONA, US