Photo By Monique Freemon | The U.S. Corps of Engineers – Far East District hosted its first “Bring Your Kid...... read more read more
USAG HUMPHREYS, South Korea – As a kickoff to Engineers Week, the U.S. Corps of Engineers – Far East District hosted its first “Bring Your Kid to Work Day” event Feb. 14, 2025, at Camp Humphreys, South Korea.
“This day isn’t just about your parents and seeing what they do. It’s also about you guys because you are the future scientist and you’re the future engineers,” David Chai, Deputy District Engineer & Chief of Programs and Project Management.
Attendees participated in lab tours, yoga, STEAM games and activities; ate pizza and snacks; tried on safety gear; and received certificates for their participation. But ultimately, they were able to see what their parents do and immerse themselves in these environments.
“This is very good opportunity to learn how my parent is doing in work and to understand and experience different series of jobs in FED,” Youjin Tak, 22, said.
Forty-seven children ranging from ages 2-22 and their parents enjoyed a day of laughter, exploration and bonding. The purpose of the event was to expose children to their parents’ work. Many of the children are high school age, college bound and/or graduated college. Hence, it provides perspective on choosing a potential career.
“[It] is an excellent experience for everyone and not just the younger kids. It gives us teens an insight of what our parents are doing in their current occupations and what occupations we might want to consider doing in the future,” Katelyn Monahan, 15, stated.
“Engineers Make Our Lives More Convenient and Safer”
The attendees were placed into five groups led by FED employees and visited five stations created by Public Affairs (PAO), Information Management Office (IMO), Design Branch in the Engineering Division (ED), Construction Division (CD) and Geotechnical & Environmental Engineering Branch.
While visiting each branch, participants gained knowledge about each division and selected branches and their roles within USACE FED. There were a couple teens who are considering engineering field; and even those who did not considered it a career option were intrigued.
“I learned that engineers make our lives more convenient and safer,” Ju-Hyung Kim, 15, said. “And it helps that strengthened the aspirations of those who wanted to become engineers. It even inspired people who hadn’t considered engineering before to develop an interest in it through this experience.”
An Exploration of FED
Rachel Napolitan, Chief of PAO, built paper airplanes not only for fun but to understand aerodynamics. She along with Yohan An, PAO Specialist, discussed their roles such as media relations, writing articles and speeches, photography, managing and creating content for FED’s social media pages, creating videos, public relations and crisis communication. More importantly, how these aspects in PAO help assist FED to properly communicate information to the public and various stakeholders.
IMO’s Lily Reichardt, Records and Information Management Specialist, taught the attendees the anatomy of a computer and understanding the importance of various parts– RAM verses ROM–while building a computer in booklet form. She also provided a list of computer parts in a matching activity.
Design Branch’s JooYoun “Julie” Park, Chief of Architectural Section in ED, had the attendees build structures out of marshmallows (Sadly, some went missing.) and spaghetti sticks, but the key was to make sure their creation was stable. Then each group was provided a glimpse of the software FED designers use to determine or simulate the structural integrity of the building they are designing.
Jamie Hagio and Seung Ji, Chief and Deputy Chief of Construction respectively, discussed CD’s role with various visuals of buildings both constructed and currently being constructed. Hagio explained why how ED and CD work in tandem to construct building throughout the Korean Peninsula. Participates were able to try on personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety helmets, vests and glasses to take photos with Hagio and Ji.
Geotechnical & Environmental Engineering Branch scientists conducted lab tours. During the tour, they were able to learn about concrete testing and why it is vital to constructing buildings. The scientists demonstrated safety procedures they follow in case of a lab accidents such as safety showers to rinse off hazardous substances from the body. The tour concluded with attendees learning about asbestos, its dangers and viewing it through a microscope.
“The geotechnical and environmental branch introduced us to the building material that may be used from the natural resources of earth and how they are changed. This branch also demonstrated the safety cautions and what dangers we might encounter with building materials,” Monahan said.
Like Hae-Deun, 18, and Hae-Chan Park, 15, many of the attendees thought the event was a “good” time to see their parents’ workplace, particularly the Geotechnical & Environmental Engineering Branch labs.
“A Meaningful Event”
Prior to the kids venturing around FED, Programs and Project Management Division (PPMD) provided each attendee with a stamp book. While exploring the world on engineering, each participate received a stamp. Once completed, they received a certificate and photo to remember the day.
Chae Kwan Hong, Project Engineer for Pyeongtaek Resident Officer, brought his three children to event and mentioned his kids want to come back next year.
“It provides an opportunity for children to learn about their parents' workplaces, helping them understand and communicate with their parents better. In that sense, it’s a meaningful event,” he expressed.
Many of the attendees enjoyed and were even surprised by the activities during the “Bring Your Kid to Work Day” and mentioned wanting to come back again.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to attend because I thought it was just an event where only young kids participated and toured the office,” Kim said. “But the program was fun, and it was a good event that made me realize my mom’s job is more important than I had thought.”
For more information and updates on Engineers Week, follow USACE FED on our website, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
| Date Taken: | 02.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2025 18:31 |
| Story ID: | 491182 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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