BY ZAHIR WARD, GUEST WRITER TO THE TIMES
OCALA – The 10th Annual Youth Energy Academy provided an engaging and educational experience for 20 local youth, offering a unique opportunity to learn about the energy sector firsthand.
The academy began with a comprehensive safety briefing by Mike Gordon, setting the tone for a focus on safety throughout the event. Ms. Janice Shaw then welcomed the participants and outlined the activities and learning objectives for the academy.
Participants traveled via SunTran, one of the program sponsors, to Ocala Electric Utility. There, they received an informative tour and learned about the utility’s operations during storms and power outages. Tammy Hoff, Public Education and Outreach Coordinator at Ocala Electric Utility, explained the roles of different departments and introduced the group to the “war room,” where coordination for severe storms and power outage management takes place.
The academy featured demonstrations on the dangers posed by squirrels and wet tree branches to power lines, and participants gained insight into the function of transformers. A highlight of the visit was the opportunity for participants to ride in the bucket of an electric truck.
The next stop was Ocala Fiber, where the attendees learned about the Ocala Fiber Network (OFN). OFN provides high-speed, reliable internet service to the community, with a 99.9% reliability rate and up to 1-Gigabit symmetrical bandwidth connections. The group also learned about the process of creating wires for home connections, discovering that a single wire can service up to 64 homes.
Returning to the Mary Sue Rich Center, participants completed a survey on the first day’s activities and were briefed on what to expect the following day.
The second day started with a meeting with Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano, who shared his personal story and discussed his vision for the city. This was followed by a cybersecurity presentation, highlighting the frequency of cyber-attacks and the responsibilities of cybersecurity professionals. Participants then engaged in a fun and educational activity, building and racing solar-powered cars for gift card prizes.
A session on job interview skills provided valuable lessons on professional behavior and communication. The day concluded with a presentation by Derick Farfan, who explained how homes are powered and discussed energy usage in the USA.
The Youth Energy Academy was made possible by the generous support of sponsors, including Duke Energy, NextEra Energy, Siemens Energy, SECO Energy, Ocala Electric Utility, AABE Florida Chapter, and many more. The academy successfully provided invaluable knowledge and hands-on experience in the energy sector, inspiring the youth of Ocala.
