MARCH 20, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE B1
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Keizer man’s Air Force career
lets him serve in unique ways
KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Fidel Garcia Morales, Carlos Cruz, Emely Medina and Lidia Valdez re-
ceived
By MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
The Act Six Scholarship se-
lects approximately 25 of the
most promising urban leaders
in the Salem-Portland area for
full-tuition, full-need scholar-
ships to three local Christian
colleges. Four of this year’s
recipients are from McNary
High School.
McNary seniors Carlos
Cruz, Emely Medina, Lidia
Valdez and Fidel Garcia Mo-
rales received full-ride schol-
arships to attend college this
fall.
“They come from amaz-
ing families, but some diffi cult
backgrounds, so to see these
kids have this opportunity, I
can’t even describe how ex-
citing it is to know that they
don’t have to worry about
school cost. They can really
pour their full potential into
their future and make a dif-
ference in their local com-
munity,” said Rochelle Farris,
a guidance counselor at Mc-
Nary.
The goal of the Act Six
program is to equip emerging
urban and community leaders
to engage the college cam-
pus and their communities at
home through a simple but
powerful four-part strategy:
• Recruit and Select
• Train and Prepare
• Send and Fund
• Support and Inspire
For Morales, being a leader
starts at his house.
Morales was raised by a sin-
gle mother and is the oldest of
four siblings. After he’s done
with school, he picks up all of
his younger siblings from their
schools and then, often times,
will make dinner for them and
take care of them before they
go to bed.
“I’m the oldest so I have to
set the example,” Morales said.
During the selection pro-
cess — which involves an ap-
plication review, an interactive
session and a campus visit —
Morales felt he was able to
stand out as a strong candidate.
“What made me different
was that I had what it took
to be a leader. I truly care for
others and I think that’s what
made me stand out,” Morales
said.
Morales will be attending
Warner Pacifi c University and
plans to study nursing.
“This scholarship means a
lot to me. It’s another oppor-
tunity to further my education
Please see SIX, Page B6
a
mile
in
ir
e
th
boots
Four Celts land full ride
Act Six scholarships
By LAUREN MURPHY
promote I’ll still be able
Of the Keizertimes
to make it to retire-
When Brennen Hankins ment,” he said. Hankins
graduated from McNary he is working in the civil
wasn’t sure what to do.
engineering squadron
“I didn’t really have a game based in Montana.
plan I was just kind of trying to
Hankins likes the
make my own way,” Hankins regularity of his job,
said.
and the opportunities it
He spent a year bouncing gives him to travel.
between odd jobs in Ore-
“I’ve been in six dif-
gon and Alaska, where his dad ferent countries, I’ve
worked as a commercial
driven
through
fi sherman, before deciding
every state west
to pursue the U.S. Mar-
of the Mississippi
shals Service.
with the excep-
For him, the mil-
tion of North
itary was a means to
Dakota,” he said.
an end.
One thing
“I spoke to a U.S.
Hankins wish
Marshals recruiter in
civilians knew
Staff Sgt. Brennan Hankins.
Portland and he said
about
veter-
that the easiest way to
ans is that they
ask,” he said.
get into the Marshal
can’t all be painted with
He said there are three types
Service was to be a
one brush.
of answer to questions like
veteran,” Hankins
“Not everyone in the
those: someone who says no
said, which is
military has seen com-
and then feels their role serv-
when he decided
bat, for example. I’m
ing their country has been
to enlist.
one of those people,”
minimized, someone who says
The minimum
Hankins said.
yes and has to deal with the
A Keizertimes
requirements to
There is a wide
unpleasant memories that are
join the Marshals series focusing on variety of jobs and
dredged up when thinking
the
lives
of
veterans
service are being
duties within the
about their time in combat or,
and active duty
at least 21 years military personnel. military that require
alternatively, someone ends up
of age and having
different sets of skills,
sounding like a braggart, which
four continuous
just like in the civilian
isn’t good for the perception of
years of a supervised job — workplace. Hankins said that
the person or military service
both of which could be satis- military jobs range from cleri-
as a whole.
fi ed with a tour in the military. cal work to piloting to combat
“None of those is a good
Hankins went to the Salem and everything in between.
thing,” Hankins said.
Air Force recruitment offi ce
Hankins warned against ask-
Hankins got engaged to his
and signed up for seven years.
ing veterans if they had been in
fi ancee, Emma a couple weeks
“I did my tour in the mili- combat or if they’d ever shot
prior to talking to the Keizer-
tary and I kind of liked it,” he someone.
times and is contracted to serve
said.
“It’s a horrible question to
another three years.
When his contract expired,
Hankins re-enlisted for anoth-
er four years.
“I’ve hit the minimum rank
to retire, now I just got to put
in the years,” Hankins said.
He is an Air Force staff ser-
geant and, if he continued to
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vancing, he would be retired in
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“I’m still trying to get pro-
moted because, you know, bet-
ter job, better pay, but if I don’t
simple
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2020 Census
roll out begins
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Taking part in the United
States Census has an impact
on almost every aspect of daily
life from city to federal levels
and, for the fi rst time, com-
pleting it can be done online
in about 10 minutes.
The 2020 Census offi cial-
ly kicked off this month and
residents can either wait for a
notice with an authorization
code to come through the
mail or simply visit 2020cen-
sus.gov and fi ll out the survey
ahead of schedule.
The questionnaire asks for
the names, gender, age (in-
cluding date of birth) and
race/ethnicity of each person
living at the residence, wheth-
er residents own or rent and
for a phone number in case
there is a need to follow up.
There is no question about
citizenship status.
Only one person per
household should fi ll out the
Census form. U.S. law prohib-
its the Census Bureau from
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