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thedrifter
05-21-09, 08:01 AM
Marching to a different beat
Many high school seniors knocking on military’s door...
By MEGAN STOKES

As he watches his classmates scramble to find jobs in a downturned economy or search for collegeloan money that does not exist, Garion Hays is kicking back.

The University High School senior signed up with the Marines last summer to fulfill a dream of working on a SWAT Team. But now he is also seeing the other benefits of his decision. “I thought this would give me a better chance at life and now I am guaranteed a job afterward,” said Hays, 18, adding that he will work in aviation electronics.

Although the U.S. is still sending troops into combat in Afghanistan, the military is becoming more and more appealing to high school seniors as the job market shrinks. Deborah De Jesus, UHS guidance resource teacher, said at least 30 to 40 seniors have shown interest in joining the military this year — many of them are on the academic route.

“ F i v e years ago if I did a presentation about joining the military, no one wanted to talk about it. Now everyone listens because it is a job,” she said. So many teens and adults are turning to the military in their time of need that most branches said they were forced to raise their standards.

GEDs are no longer accepted by both the Army and Navy unless an additional test is taken, and recruits must score a 50 or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Orlando Station Commander Sgt. First Class Andrew Baker said 70 percent of the population before the Army raised its standards due to a lack of education or a flawed personal record, “so you can imagine how many are disqualified now.” The Central Florida Marines Corps has had an increase in recruits this year, but spokesperson Sgt. Paul Robbins does not attribute it to the economy.

“Those who join do not join just to get a job, for money or for any other tangible bonuses. They join because they want to be a marine,” he said. The U.S. Marines, with more funding and 500 additional recruiters, recently increased their force capacity from 180,000 to 202,000 — a goal they expect to accomplish by the end of this year. Plus Robbins said the U.S. Marines has always imposed high standards; they must be high school graduates or, if they hold a GED, they must complete at least 15 college credits and they must meet high physical standards.

“The Army is four times our size. We are out there looking for people who want the challenge of being a marine. We are pretty picky,” he said. CS1 Sgt. Lou Goby recruited 17 students from UHS last year but this year he was only able to recruit five; not because there was less interest but because the kids did not measure up. “All-around interest has increased. A lot of adults are losing their jobs and so they are looking to the military for employment and a lot of kids are seeing mom and dad losing their jobs and are also looking to the military,” Baker said. “There are so many people joining that jobs here are filling up fast. It does weed out quite a few people so it will provide more qualified people with less law violations, higher education and more skills.”

Timber Creek High School Assistant Principal John McHale said he has not seen an unusually high number of seniors inquiring about the military, but added that students often deal directly with the recruiters. He did say that Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) classes have increased dramatically over the last several years. This year the class size jumped from 250 to 300 requiring TCHS to add another ROTC teacher.

“Joining the ROTC does not mean they will go to the military but a large percentage will,” McHale said. “The job market is a concern for these students. Many of them have been laid off at their after-school job so there is a real fear that, if they cannot find a job now, they will not find one after they graduate.”

Put on a happy face

Cosette Gabriel, UHS senior and valedictorian with a 6.0 GPA, said the graduating class seems largely optimistic about their future.

“The atmosphere here is excitement, optimism. It is an idealistic teenage thing where we think we can be a part of the change that will help the community out of all this,” she said. “I am not saying that none of the kids are worried. There are plenty of seniors who are struggling and need that extra job to help their families. There are kids who are worried about the economy and getting a job.” But many of these kids are not paralyzed by their fear. Instead they are filling high school resource rooms where they can spruce up their resumes, find scholarships for college and look for available jobs in the area. TCHS expanded its Career and College Center this year. Bob Steinhauser, Colonial High School guidance curriculum leader, has not noticed any more students coming to his office than usual.

“Once these kids get out into the economy it will be better than it is now, so they think it will be okay. They are behaving like typical seniors with typical concerns,” he said. UHS used to offer a plethora of professional opportunities to their seniors including 20 internship spots at AT&T at $11 an hour and two annual job fairs packed with needy employers. As the unemployment rate climbed over the last two years, however, more and more of those opportunities disappeared. De Jesus said more kids are stopping by her office for help than ever before.

“This is the first year that I hardly have leads for them,” De Jesus said. “Usually I tell them that they always have the theme parks to fall back on, but even that is not available anymore. They might just have to be patient and wait a year. Kids come in all the time asking for work opportunities and I do not have a lot to tell them.”

Ellie