Moody’s Youth Center hosted their annual Teen Shadow Day, June 22, 2022, at Moody air Force Base, Georgia.

The event consisted of 25 teens from the Youth Center visiting eight work centers and participating in interactive activities.

“Teen shadowing day is an event created to provide the next generation with first-hand experience, mentorship, skills, and the confidence they need to become active members in society,” said Heather Sheppard, 23rd Force Support Squadron, youth programmer. “Our goal was to expose them to careers they are interested in and give them opportunities to ask questions, explore new career fields, and get hands-on experience through jobs geared towards the military, but also jobs and skills that can be transferred to the private sector.”

The list of jobs teens could experience were based on their interests and included the Office of Special Investigations, medical careers at the 23rd Medical Group, explosive ordinance disposal, public affairs, and more.

“We really hoped the teens would be able to see what career opportunities are out there, especially the juniors and seniors in high school who are wanting to see what they can do after they graduate,” said Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Lui, 23rd Medical group, education and training coordinator. “It was great to see how the Airmen have pride in what they do, and were able to show the teens how each career fits into the Air Force, and how those careers can expand into the private sector.”

The program is designed to open doors and show teens what kind of jobs are available to them in the military and in the private sector.

“The most important thing about this event is that they get something out of it--whether it is new connections, friendships, or exploring a new career,” Sheppard said. “I hope they can look back on the experience and say that it was truly meaningful to them.”

The following paragraph is from 12 year-old Anabelle A., a public affairs teen shadow participant.

It was really fun and interesting to see what all of my friends were learning about. We got to see where the nurses trained, the helicopters were worked on, and what EOD did on a daily basis. I learned amazing facts interviewing participants and loved taking photos. It was an amazing experience and opened up a lot of new job opportunities. If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have thought about being a nurse, a pilot, or even working in public affairs.