AES Career Day draws excellent turn-out Published May 20, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Marianique Santos 36th Wing Public Affairs ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Andersen Elementary School students took a break from their books Friday, May 11, to listen to stories and watch presentations from guest speakers during Career Day. Career Day is an annual AES event where people from different career fields are invited to give presentations about their jobs to the students. "The whole purpose of Career Day is to let our children see that what they're learning in school actually applies toward a job," said Cynthia Jones, AES counselor. "It allows them to see that education and skills they're being taught will help them in the future." The guest speakers gave presentations to children in several grades. Mrs. Jones believes that children should be aware of their options early in life so they can be successful. "You can never introduce it to them too young," she said. "They're going to change their minds on what they're going to do. They need to know what's available and what's out there. If they don't know what's out there for them, they won't have anything to strive for." Joe Vinch, 36 Civil Engineer Squadron environmental flight chief, and Career Day guest speaker, said that it is not only important the kids know their options; they should also know that they can have an impact in the world as adults. "We should let the children know that they could make a difference," he said. "It helps the parents direct their children to what they could do in the future, or stress the importance of doing well in school so they will have more opportunities to better themselves and the world around them." The range of careers included both military and civilian, personnel who work from on base and the local community. Some of the speakers participate every year. "We had an excellent and very diverse turn-out this year," said Mrs. Jones. "We had everything including B-52 pilots, auto mechanics, services, security and the dog handlers who came in with their dogs. There was something available for every kid. We even had the 36th Wing vice commander and the 36th Operations Group commander talk to the kids this year." Mrs. Jones said that sometimes it's good to have other adults that the children can to look up to. The kids learn a lot from the speakers and get a bird's eye view of what the world of work is like. For this, she expresses her gratitude to all those who participated in the event. "Along with the entire staff, I appreciate all the speakers who came and devoted their time to our "Career Day" and the students," she said. "We are thankful for all their support."