Benjamin Turner Academy holds Career Day for eager students

Dozens of Benjamin Turner Academy students shouted with delight as police sirens blared during the annual Career Day, which brought a contingent of officers, firefighters and other people from various fields to give the children a glimpse of their possible futures.

Two pilots, a barber, tattoo artists, emergency medical technicians, a real estate agent and a financial professional filled the gym as students strode from table to table to ask questions.

One student, sixth-grader Alana Bailey, said she was having fun looking at the police cars and motorcycle parked outside, where one officer showed the youngsters all the gear he was wearing on his duty vest.

Asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Alana said, “I think I want to be a chef – or an entrepreneur.”

The two pilots – a captain with Alaska Airlines and a first officer with Endeavor Air – took part in the event while wearing their uniforms, including caps and wings.

The two aviators also have ties to the school and District. Capt. Sheldon Blackman’s 6-year-old son, Andre, attends Benjamin Turner Academy, while First Officer Kevin Hyman’s father, Neville, is the custodian at Cecil H. Parker Elementary School.

Also in attendance was Randolf Scott, the deputy commissioner of Social Services for Westchester County, who was elected to the Mount Vernon Board of Education, as well as school counselor Kibret Mooyoung and Assistant Principal Raisa Turner.