LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --
The 714th Training Squadron International Military Student
Office was recognized as the 2016 U.S. Air Force IMSO Team of the Year in the
small activities category for their service to more than 100 international
students.
“This is the first time the office has won an award like
this,” said Master Sgt. Larry Holland, 714th Training Squadron IMSO NCOIC. “It
goes to show that we might be a small office but we have a gigantic footprint.”
As leaders of the largest international training program,
the 714th TRS IMSO plays a vital role in the 314th Airlift Wing’s Center of
Excellence, a C-130 training school, where students learn career-specific
fundamentals of Combat Airlift.
While international students learn technical skills at the
school house, the IMSO is tasked with easing the transition from their
respective countries to the United States.
Holland, along with Maj. Jonathon Ferricher and Master Sgt.
Stephanie Erskine, facilitated everything from the student’s transportation and
documents to their morale and understanding of the American culture.
“We are the first and last people they see at the airport,”
Holland said. “We have a really big impact on how they feel about Americans as
a whole and that is ultimately our big picture: to make them feel comfortable
with being in America, so they can enjoy their experience.”
Winners of the IMSO Team of the Year award show exceptional job
performance and support to international students by effectively managing any
issues the students and their dependents face.
They also take initiative in implementing the field studies
program. A program designed to immerse students into American culture through events
and outings on base and in the local area.
The office of three may be small, but their support reaches
hundreds of students from all around the globe annually, helping strengthen
partnerships with more than 47 allied nations.
“The IMSO award let us know that we were successful
in trying to make the students feel at home,” Erskine said. “Partnerships are
what makes us a cohesive unit at home and in contingency operations.”