Kids get a peek at careers on ‘When I Grow Up’ day
One of the first memories that Matthew Ward, an emergency medical technician, has of his childhood is when he needed double-hernia surgery at age 4.
He remembers being put under anesthesia at the hospital and having one of the specialists soothe him, saying he was just going to sleep and that when he woke up he would be all better.
“It was highly unusual” to need that kind of surgery at such a young age, Ward said. “But when it happened, something just stuck in my head.”
Ward, now a transport EMT for Children’s Hospital of Orange County, spent Thursday morning showing children the pediatric ambulance he drives as he participated in the seventh annual “When I Grow Up” day at Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine.
Each year, Pretend City hopes to plant the seeds of careers in the minds of children as they meet with adults who work in healthcare, public safety, performing arts and other fields.
On Thursday, Ward lifted small children into the CHOC ambulance so they could look inside. It was parked between a red firetruck from the Orange County Fire Authority and an Irvine Police Department SUV.
Twenty-four professionals were invited to set up stations in and outside the museum.
“What makes this day special is having the children be exposed to different career options with that hands-on experience,” said Shannon Huston, Pretend City’s director of education. “Children learn through play. Today, they can really try on those roles.”
Vista resident Darshell Norman helped her 2-year-old daughter, Leilani, into a Waste Management helmet and a yellow vest that went down to her knees. They both wore the gear to take a photo in front of a green Waste Management trash truck.
When they arrived at the museum, Norman said, her daughter ran past the race car and other vehicles in the lot and headed straight for the trash truck.
“She loves the garbage man,” Norman said. “When he comes by our house, she runs out and says ‘Hi.’”
Inside the museum, geologist Chris Baker arranged different types of stones and a microscope for visitors to look at.
Baker said his interest in geology became rock solid partly because of his grandparents.
“My grandma was really into collecting rocks, and my grandfather would polish them,” said Baker, who is president of the South Coast Geological Society. “They’d collect agates from the great lakes [by Wisconsin].”
Kids dug their hands into bins of sand at the geology station inside Pretend City, uncovering hidden rocks like pyrite, also known as “fool’s gold.”
Across the way, two ballerinas from Orange County’s Festival Ballet Theatre helped young girls put on tutus.
Outside, children wore red plastic helmets reading “Junior Firefighter” on the front, and stuck police-badge stickers on their shirts, right above their hearts.
An officer stood next to the kids as they climbed into the front seat of an Irvine police car.
The officer, Traci Fischer, had three pieces of advice for those wanting to pursue a career in public service.
“Stay in school, treat people with kindness and get involved with the community,” she said. “Being a role model is so important.”
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Alex Chan, alexandra.chan@latimes.com
Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
