Back with another degree

Published July 29, 2014
By Senior Airman Ashley L. Gardner
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE -- Jenyfer Johnson, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron hazardous material and waste manager from Ithaca, N.Y., was recently afforded the opportunity to attend National Labor College in Baltimore, Maryland.

Johnson received an advertisement for the school in the mail and decided to work towards her bachelor's degree in emergency response.

Johnson has worked in government services for about 30 year, 10 of which she spent as an electrical and electronic designer for Navy submarines. When the base where she was working closed she began to look for another job and landed a position here, where she has worked for 19 years.

Johnson is employed through the American Federation of Government Employees. The AFGE is the largest federal employee union representing 650,000 federal government workers across the world. Workers from all parts of the government at every federal agency depend on AFGE for legal representation, legislative advocacy, technical expertise and informational services.

The union gave Johnson scholarships to help her through school and she graduated with a 4.0.

"The advice I have for anyone is to do it," said Johnson. "If you're thinking about it, go for it. It pays off in the long-run."

"I, as the Local President, am extremely proud of her accomplishment," said John Sammons, AFGE president. "She accomplished her degree program all the while performing her duties as Hazmat Manager for the 20th CES environmental flight."