Altus AFB brings the mission to the classroom Published March 14, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Klynne Pearl Serrano 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs ALTUS, Okla. -- Civilian and Air Force personnel assigned to Altus Air Force Base brought the mission to the classroom at Altus Junior High School during a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Fair, March 13, 2013. According to recent studies, most female youth lose interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics when they reach junior high school. The fair was held with the intent to encourage female students to remain engaged in STEM education and career fields. Service members and civilians talked about their jobs and shared their experiences serving in the Air Force. "I was a hairdresser before I joined the Air Force and I never thought I would ever pursue a career in electronics," said Airman 1st Class Heather Dice, 97th Communications Squadron network infrastructure technician. "You can see that the younger females coming in [to the fair] already have the I-can't-do-that-attitude, but after sharing my story with them, it kind of changed their minds later on. I think that's something very important." Seventh and eighth grade students viewed numerous information booths, asked questions, handled different tools and gadgets, and participated in games prepared by the Airmen. The different booths included maintenance, security forces, finance, air traffic control, civil engineering, KC-135 Stratotanker and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, geology, communications, bioenvironmental and aircraft maintenance. "Coming to this fair opened my eyes to more careers that are available that I didn't even know about," said Lynsey Sellers, a student at Altus Junior High. "My favorite booth was the one of the pilots who fly the C-17s. I think it's really cool that women fly it. They are role models and it shows that women can do the same things men do in the Air Force, if not better."