NORWICH, Conn. –Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) staff members participated in Kelly STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math] Magnet Middle School’s inaugural career day event on May 2.

Volunteers engaged with sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, speaking on the impacts that Navy Medicine has on force health and readiness. Community events such as career days expose students to career paths they otherwise may not know about, sparking interest in medicine and STEM careers.

NSMRL staff, along with representatives from other career fields, gave 10–15-minute presentations on their careers as groups of students from each grade rotated through the volunteers’ assigned classrooms. NSMRL volunteers included three Navy divers, a Navy Medical Service Corps officer, a Navy civilian physiologist, and a Navy Nurse Corps officer.

“Getting volunteers to participate in Career Day is so important for students; it helps them connect what they’re learning now to the goals they can set for their future,” said Ambreen Qadri, a school counselor at Kelly and initiator of the event. “Middle schoolers are especially tough to engage because many of them don’t yet see how school matters. That’s why it’s crucial they’re exposed to a variety of careers, not just the ones they already know.”

Representing the broad range of careers available in the Navy and Navy Medicine, NSMRL’s six volunteers actively engaged with students, answering questions that ranged from, “What is the most interesting part about doing your job?” to “Have you ever seen a shark while diving?”

“Most kids tend to have a fixed view of the military and think we all engage in weaponized conflict,” said Lt. Dylan Holly, a physiologist on NSMRL’s Undersea Physiology and Performance Enhancement Research team. “Career days allow us the opportunity to speak to the many other things the military is involved in, and to provide information about the variety of career options within our lines of work.”

“When they hear from people in both academic and trade-based fields,” added Qadri, “They begin to understand that success can take many forms for different people.”

In 2024, NSMRL took part in career day at Qadri’s previous school, Global Teachers Memorial Magnet Middle School, and was invited back for this year’s event based on the positive feedback from students and staff.

NSMRL, part of Navy Medicine Research & Development and based out of Groton, Connecticut, sustains the readiness and superiority of U.S. undersea warfighters through innovative health and performance research and works to lead the world in delivering science solutions to ensure undersea warrior dominance.