Journalism students were visited by Tech Sgt. Candin Muniz and Staff Sgt. Stuart Bright, journalists for the United States Air Force working in the public affairs office on Dec. 6. In addition, Jefferson hosted a lecture earlier that day by Gen. David D. Thompson, Vice Chief of Space Operations in the United States Space Force during lunch to learn more about the goals and duties of the United States Space Force.
While Thompson focused his lecture during lunch on the STEM jobs and applications in the United States Space Force, Muniz and Bright spoke to the journalism class, showcasing the other opportunities available in the Air Force, such as communications, photography and media relations.
Muniz spoke about how he enjoys the interpersonal aspects of a career in journalism for the Space Force. He mentioned the perks of working a job that requires a high amount of diverse interaction.
“It’s the single best job in the Air Force,” Muniz said. “I’ve got photos on my wall of all the different places I’ve been. The people that I meet are incredible.”
Working in a field that involves a lot of movement and adaptation has the potential to bring with it various encounters. Reflecting on his experiences with people from all over the world during his career, Muniz recalled a vivid memory that demonstrates his appreciation for the perspectives and experiences that his job offers.
“I was stationed in SHAPE Belgium, which is the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers Europe. My job there was as a radio morning and afternoon host. Every year, there was a celebration, called Tanks in Mons [which] was essentially a load of Belgians who reenacted World War Two and would have running, working tanks that they would bring into the town square. It was all celebrating the American presence in World War Two,” Muniz said. “I got to see that from an American perspective and have all of these Belgians look at me with a level of respect that I didn’t feel that I had earned. Seeing that because of the actions of my predecessors in the armed forces [took], makes you look and go, ‘Am I going to have that impact one day?’”
Muniz hopes to inspire high schoolers, especially those interested in journalism, to pursue their passions and view their interests with new perspectives.
“I hope to have inspired one, [or] maybe two people to look at their craft in a new way, or to be really excited about their path and what they’re doing,” Muniz said. “If that’s a journalism student, if that is a videographer, a photographer or even somebody in a different course, if they come away from that, and they go, ‘I have some ideas on what I might want to do’, then that to me is amazing. That’s why I do it.”