A typical high school student may worry about grades, socializing and figuring out what they want to do in life. One Kadena High School freshmen is making an impact on the world around him right now though. He is helping people see.
14-year-old Ben R. Breier's summer job is cutting eye-glass lenses in the optometry section of United States Naval Hospital Okinawa. He got the job through the Navy's 2010 Summer Hire Program.
"I have been working here for about three weeks now," said Breier. "It's fun. The staff here is really nice, and they're never slacking off."
The SHP helps family members of service members or Department of Defense employees assigned to government agencies in Okinawa find employment.
According to the program handbook, applicants who are selected for employment will work during one of two sessions. The first from June 21 to July 16, and the second from July 19 to August 13. Students applying for this program are picked on a first come-first serve basis.
The program employs students in an office environment doing clerical and related tasks or manual labor positions requiring inside or outside work.
"At my school they had flyers up for [the program], so I filled out all the paperwork and gave it to the human resources office," said Breier.
USNH Okinawa makes all of the eyeglasses for active duty and retired service members, said Cmdr. Jacqueline L. Pierre, an optometrist at USNH Okinawa. The only orders that have to be sent out are transition lenses and bi-focals.
"During the summer the hospital hires students to work in different sections doing various jobs," said Pierre. "It's good because it exposes the students to the medical profession."
"The job was easy to learn," said Breier. "Once an order comes from a doctor, it comes to me and I find the lens that matches their prescription."
Breier then inserts the lens into a machine that cuts it to the exact size needed to fit the frames the patient chooses, he said.
After the lens is cut, it is inserted into the frames and thoroughly cleaned and packaged ready for use, said Breier.
"It took me two or three days to get the hang of it, and a week later I learned how to screen the patients," he said.
"It feels good to know my work is improving people's lives," said Breier.
For more information on the summer hire program contact the Human Resources Office on Camp Lester at 634-6714.