Amazing experiences at Powell Leadership AcademyBeing able to experience something first hand is where a lot of dreams and plans first take root.  This is one of the core principles of the JROTC program here at General Colin L. Powell Leadership Academy—offering students a chance to try new things and being able to be part of amazing experiences.  It shows students some of the things that are possible.

 

More than thirty Powell Leadership cadets toured the Air National Guard at Ft. Snelling.  Not only did they learn about different career opportunities with the chance to ask questions, they also had remarkable experiences.  Cadets had a great time learning about the mobile hospital, seeing the air crew prepare for flight and even get inside a C-130 and talk to the Maintenance Commander.

 

But hear the students share the experience in their own words and take a look at the photos that show how engaged students were and the amazing opportunity they experienced firsthand in the Powell Leadership Academy.

Cadet Angelina 
MN Air National Guard

Today our JROTC class went to Ft. Snelling to tour the Air National Guard. When we first arrived we were met by Sergeant Todd, who took us in a classroom in one of the many buildings on the premises. In that classroom Sergeant Todd talked about who the Air National Guard is and the steps to enlist. While he talked, we were given some chow to munch on as we listened. After we were finished, we were taken to another part of the base and were able to see airplanes take off and were introduced to a huge cargo-plane. We peeked inside and it was so astonishing to see. Other soldiers were working as we toured so we were careful not to distract them or anything. After that, we had the opportunity to go inside a plane and see it for ourselves along with learning about how useful and powerful it is. It was truly all an experience I won’t ever forget, and I hope others experience it as well. There was also this one area where a bunch of little fighting planes were and they were so cool, we looked around and learned more about them. In the end, we all thanked the soldiers for their time with us and for the wonderful experience we all just had.

Cadet Andrea
MN Air National Guard

We left the school and took the school bus at 9:40, it was a short ride of about 10-15 minutes. When we arrived at the site a local official guided us to the entrance and explained in detail the functions of the site and how they are divided; E1, E2, E3 for example. Upon entering the building we were guided to a room where the officer himself gave a presentation on how he joined the Air National Guard, how long it took him to get in and mentioned some of the benefits of being a part of it.

Then we were taken to the outside area, where there were some big airplanes and they were filled by other officers and it was explained to us that these airplanes were for them like a “van” carrying any material that any of them needed, medicine, emergency equipment etc. After that tour, we were introduced to another sergeant, who took us to a place where they had a very similar aircraft, he explained in detail how it works, how many people enter, which are approximately 100, the weight of the plane and its speed. After the explanation we were taken back to the principal’s room where we waited for the bus to arrive to return to the school.