Career and Diversity Day Published April 12, 2024 By Master Sgt. Juliet Louden 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- The Air Force Reserve’s 910th Airlift Wing hosted a Career and Diversity Day, here, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The event hosted cultural performances, various ethnic and cultural food samplings, civilian employers and 27 base organizations. “The purpose of Career and Diversity Day is to encapsulate how diverse our little base is, especially on UTA weekends, as well as it gives our Airmen an opportunity to see other career fields within the Air Force they might be interested in,” said Capt. Josh Shaffer, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator for the 910th AW and co-coordinator of the event. “This may include career fields that might benefit them in their civilian lives throughout the month.” The event also highlighted opportunities for Airmen to speak with representatives from 13 different civilian businesses who were eager to discuss job positions open in their companies. The idea to focus on outside job opportunities for Airmen came from Col. Michael Maloney, the 910 AW commander, and his belief on what encompasses diversity. “Diversity and inclusion do not stop with culture and ethnicity,” said Maloney. “It is also equal opportunity and equal access to all the community has to offer.” The diversity piece of the event gave a chance for Airmen to display their talents and feel motivated about their abilities through the encouraging words of other Airmen. “Participating in this event is a feel-good outlet and an opportunity to express yourself and what you are interested in and at the same time allows you to explore other people’s culture, stories and foods,” said Senior Airman Agi Wisdom, financial operations technician assigned to the 910th AW. “Airmen were encouraging me to find different avenues to grow with my art abilities,” said Wisdom. “I would not have thought to do any of their suggestions to further develop my artwork. I was having an art block phase and they motivated me to carry on after the event.” Diversity is an important factor in many aspects of the Air Force and it helps in successfully completing mission goals and objectives. “Diversity in the Air Force, just like any other field, is important because it allows a variety of people from different cultures and backgrounds to come together and get the mission done,” said Shaffer. “When like-minded people try to solve a problem, you’ll get like-minded solutions. When people of different backgrounds come together, you get different solutions that can be discussed for an all-around better solution for the greater good.”