TRAC gives Airmen opportunities to learn, serve

The Team Randolph Airmen’s Council provides Airmen at pay grade E-4 and below with mentors and opportunities to serve their community, enhance their careers and prepare for the future.

In addition to receiving valuable guidance from senior noncommissioned officers, Airmen who belong to TRAC have opportunities to develop leadership skills and “get their names and faces known,” Airman 1st Class Ariana Rodriguez, TRAC president, said.

Rodriguez, a 359th Aerospace-Medicine Squadron Aerospace and Operational Physiology technician who has served as TRAC president since September, said the organization meets at 3 p.m. the last Tuesday of each month at the chapel annex.

“We have chiefs, first sergeants and other senior NCOs there to provide support,” she said. “That’s when professional development happens.”

Senior NCOs present a variety of topics to Airmen, including overcoming adversity in their careers, taking advantage of the Air Force’s educational opportunities, having a plan for their careers, handling finances, permanent changes of stations and overseas assignments, Rodriguez said.

“We emphasize education at our meetings,” she said. “Senior NCOs come and set Airmen up for success.”

Airmen also have an opportunity to meet with senior NCOs during one-on-one mentoring sessions once every quarter.

Rodriguez said another way TRAC interacts with NCOs is through a monthly informational meeting with leaders from JBSA-Randolph’s private organizations – the Top 3 for senior NCOs; Chiefs’ Group for chief master sergeants; and Rising 5/6 for technical sergeants, staff sergeants and staff sergeant-selects.

“If we have a project we need mentors for, they’re always willing to help,” she said.

Giving back to the community is another area of emphasis for the Team Randolph Airmen’s Council, Rodriguez said.

In recent months, TRAC members have served as volunteers at the Randolph Elementary School fifth-grade promotion ceremony, a mock deployment exercise at the school, and the Human Performance Resource Center’s “Dorm to Gourm” and “Kitchen Addiction” cooking classes for Airmen.

They’ve also promoted and recruited attendees for the Air Force Sergeants’ Association-sponsored screening of the movie “Jurassic World,” assisted in the bimonthly cleanup of the POW/MIA flag and monument, helped raise more than $400 for the Boysville children’s home birthday party event, volunteered for the first sergeants’ Operation Warm Heart holiday season campaign and helped support flood cleanup efforts in San Marcos and Wimberley.

“In May and June, there were multiple huge storms in the area and, unfortunately, residents had to face many adversities after the storms hit,” Airman 1st Class Tristin Baker, TRAC vice president, said. “They were requesting labor assistance, cleanup supplies and really anything since almost everything they had, including their homes, had been destroyed. I assisted our president in collecting more than $400 in donations around base for relief efforts and led a team of six to deliver the items to the storm victims, and it was a huge success.”

Rodriguez also said TRAC will be hosting the POW-MIA 5K Run this month and will be raising funds for the organization at a food booth during the JBSA Air Show.

TRAC officers and members also provide outreach to other Airmen, hosting single Airmen’s dinners and a combat study skills course, and presenting briefings at newcomers’ courses and First Term Airman Center classes.

Rodriguez said TRAC receives funding from AFSA and other organizations such as the Top 3 and the Chiefs’ Group.

“In the past we’ve used funds for single Airman events like skydiving, horseback riding and going to water parks,” she said.

More Airmen are learning about the organization, Rodriguez said.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in attendance,” she said. “We have 500 names on our distribution list. Some people didn’t even know we existed, but now there’s more awareness.”

Rodriguez, whose term as president ends in January, said the next election takes place next month, giving Airmen a chance to assume leadership positions in the organization. The president, vice president, secretary and treasurer are elective posts; the organization also has four subcommittee leads.

Baker, who is also a 359th Aerospace-Medicine Squadron Aerospace and Operational Physiology technician, said membership in TRAC has made him “grow as an individual in many ways.

“Being put in a leadership position also means assuming the responsibilities as a mentor,” he said. “Seeing Airmen come together to improve the quality of the base and the community proves that we are making a difference and benefiting the members involved in our efforts.”

Rodriguez said her term as president has taught her “a lot of patience and organizational and social skills.

“It’s been a fun experience,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been exposed to all these opportunities without being on TRAC.”

Baker said TRAC gives Airmen an opportunity “to feel empowered and have their voices heard.

“It allows Airmen to network and get hands-on experience outside of their respective organizations,” he said.

For more information on Team Randolph Airmen’s Council, contact Rodriguez at 652-4931.