by Rick Burke,
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
(PORTSMOUTH, Va.)
- A 1997 Western Branch High School graduate and Portsmouth, Virginia
native, recently received the outstanding
apprentice award from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Apprentice
Program.
Mr. David Franklin
(right), one of 103 honor graduates from the NNSY Apprentice Program, was
presented the award by the National Association of Superintendent at
Willet Hall in Portsmouth, Virginia.
NNSY congratulated
180 graduates from its program. The graduates, represent 25 trades across the
shipyard, and successfully completed a four-year training program, which
includes academics, trade theory and on-the-job experience. Upon graduation,
the apprentices received a Technician Career Studies Certificate and were
converted to the journeymen level of their trade.
Franklin said
receiving this award as an early graduate, is his proudest accomplishment.
"My
proudest accomplishment is graduating five months early from the apprenticeship
program and achieving salutatorian of my class,” he said.
"I always set
short term goals for myself. These were the three goals I set for
myself during my apprenticeship. Through hard work and perseverance I achieved
all three of these goals," he added.
At NNSY Franklin,
who has currently worked for the DOD for four years, is the Temporary Services
Supervisor. He is responsible for providing oversight of routing, installing,
maintaining and removing nuclear and non-nuclear temporary services.
Franklin
has carried lessons learned from his hometown working for the Department of
Defense.
"In my
hometown, I ran my own company for 11 years and this opened my eyes to being a
productive employee," said Franklin. "My goal is to run my career at
NNSY as the employee I always wanted to be."
Franklin is
honored to have family members who previously served with the DOD and the
military.
"My
great grandfather, grandfather and father all worked at NNSY," he said. "My great
grandfather previously worked here for seven years. My grandfather served in
the Navy and became superintendent for the diving department. My father later
carried on that tradition, working as superintendent for
the same department. Additionally, my aunt currently works at NNSY as an
engineer tech superintendent in the lifting
and handling department."
Working with the
DOD, has provided Franklin with opportunities that continue to develop
essential traits needed for success both professionally and personally.
"It gives me a very structured place
to work,” said Franklin. “It helps me budget my finances and family. I can see
a ladder to climb that really pushes me to be my best. I have met people, both
civilians and enlisted, that I have developed relationships with and now
consider them family."