Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Natalia Murillo | NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (Feb. 27, 2024) From left: Chief Electronics...... read more read more
(March 8, 2024) Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Miami leadership spoke about Navy career and education programs with students at W.T. Sampson Elementary High School located on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), during a visit Feb. 27-28.
“The commanding officer of Guantanamo Bay, Capt. Samuel White, identified a gap that needed attention, and we stepped in to support,” said NTAG Miami commanding officer Cmdr. Johnny Lykins, Jr. “We are the closest recruiting element and it is our duty to ensure that the dependents of our service members and civilians get the same information and opportunities as any other high school student would. The students and parents deserve it.”
NTAG Miami leaders brought information on how to join the Navy to the 32 high school students on campus. According to their website, W. T. Sampson is a unit school, providing educational opportunities for NSGB students from preschool through 12th grade. W.T. Sampson is a Department of Defense Education Activity school with students who are primarily the children of military and civilian families stationed on the base.
W.T. Sampson Elementary High School currently holds virtual recruiting conferences for their students to engage with post-secondary educational institutes and employers. Stationed and living on an island, the opportunity for students to engage in person with such organizations is a rare event.
“Although most of our students are military dependents, here on Guantanamo Bay, we do not have many opportunities for our students to meet with recruiters in person.” said Angelo M. Barcinas, Ph.D., principal of W.T. Sampson Elementary High School. “It is always a different and better experience when it occurs in person, rather than virtually.”
Despite their very close military ties, these students don’t always know all the pathways, opportunities or benefits of service. Some students have only been exposed to their own family’s military or federal service activity and don’t know about all of the Navy communities or occupations. Others may be thinking of continuing in their relative’s footsteps but unsure of the right path. Also, these students live on an island hundreds of miles off the Florida coast and may not be able to explore opportunities like other teenagers can.
“They may be interested in joining the Navy but there is a void of information that visits like these can help fix,” said Lt. Brendon Clements, enlisted production officer for NTAG Miami. “Getting them the correct information about the pathways into the Navy and showing them how they can meet their goals through military service opens their minds up to the idea that this could be the right choice.”
These informational discussions and presentations not only showed them what those avenues are but also how they can translate to future careers or meet other goals, such as earning a college education through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program or by attending the Naval Academy.
After the briefs, 19 students pursued further information on how to enlist or pursue officer programs. This number is evidence that supports the need for future, in-person meetings.
Barcinas said that the teachers appreciated this visit by the recruiters as well.
“Most of our teachers were impressed by the visit and how our students responded to the opportunity,” said Barcinas. “My teachers value any experience that allows students to explore college or career opportunities."
The almost 300-miles between NTAG Miami’s headquarters office and NSGB is a small distance to travel to bridge these students with a future in the Navy. Lykins assures that there will be recurring visits with the mission of maintaining this relationship and providing the students and parents the information they deserve.
“I am extremely grateful to Capt. White for arranging this visit with our school,” said Barcinas. “I am thankful for Lt. Clements and his team, all of which were very professional, positive, and provided a great experience for our students. It was an extremely positive experience, and the students valued the recruiters’ time.”
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Miami has 38 recruiting locations throughout South Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, with the combined mission to recruit the highest caliber Sailors to meet the needs of the fleet.
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay is the forward, ready, and irreplaceable U.S. sea power platform in the Caribbean, preserving America’s strategic influence in the area operations by maintaining a deep-water U.S. Naval Station and ensuring effective support across military and interagency operations.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2024 16:23 |
| Story ID: | 465923 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NTAG Miami Leadership Meets with W.T. Sampson Students, by PO1 Natalia Murillo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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