High Flier With Students

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Carliss Bell started at Northrop Grumman Co. in 1987 – the summer after she went through Northrop’s High School Involvement Program. She’s been there ever since, working in the F/A-18 jet fighter program.

She now mentors in the program she went through as a student. The program graduated 110 L.A.-area students last month. More than 8,000 have graduated in 42 years.

The aerospace and defense company, which has operations in El Segundo, Redondo Beach and at other L.A. sites, teams students, through school districts’ occupational training programs, with Northrop employees who serve as mentors. Students can specialize in aerospace engineering, graphic design or other areas – even food services, for kids who wanted to work in the company cafeteria in order to prepare for a career as a chef. But the company hopes the program inspires students to pursue a career in math and sciences and work in aviation for Northrop some day.

“We’ll find something for them,” Bell said.

Seniors are recommended by counselors. Students work unpaid for 17 weeks, two hours a day, five days a week. It ends when the students graduate at the end of May.

This year, the students under Bell’s supervision helped out with paperwork for the F/A-18 program.

Bell said she was grateful for the program as it led to her career and was happy to do for others what had been done for her.

“Somebody did it for me,” she said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

– Justin Yang

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