In honor of Black History Month, Jeremiah Stewart, HVAC Apprentice, IAD, shared his personal stories, experiences, inspirations, what inclusion and diversity means to him individually and in the workforce.
Jeremiah Stewart
HVAC Apprentice , MWAA
What is your role at the Airports Authority?
I'm Jeremiah Stewart. And I'm starting at Dulles International so I can have a whole career in HVAC. I learned it in my junior year when I went to Monroe and one of the HVAC students was saying that it was a possibility to get a job at the airport.
What does Black History Month represent to you?
Black History Month is important because it's important to know who has come before you and their impacts on the world and how they transformed it so that it can be easier for us as people of color. And it also shows that no matter what situation you come from, that you can do anything and the world is your oyster.
Who are some heroes in Black History that inspire you?
One of my heroes is Reginald Lewis. He is from the DMV area. He was born in Maryland and he was a businessman, and he also invested in a snack company called TLC. I inspire to be him because of his drive and his commitment to do what he wanted to do and to create his own path.
What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity means to me that you get to meet and understand different cultures and what that different culture can mean doing the work force.
What I mean by that is that everybody comes from a different situation and because of that, they might analyze something differently that you may not have thought of before.And that is very important doing HVAC because you may have not seen something that somebody has seen because of the experience that they have. As a HVAC technician, I've been able to learn problems that other people can't solve or recognize.