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Transcript/ScriptUS ROSE PARADE VETERAN CODING
HEADLINE: Rose Parade float highlights military veterans in cybersecurity TEASER: Educational program Coding for Veterans has 85% placement rate of graduates
PUBLISHED AT: 1/1/2025 at 9:25pm
BYLINE: Genia Dulot
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Los Angeles
VIDEOGRAPHER: Genia Dulot
PRODUCER: Genia Dulot
SCRIPT EDITORS: Stearns, Jepsen
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:56
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVR
EDITOR NOTES: For production and release New Year’s Day
((INTRO))
[[The Tournament of Roses Parade is an annual New Year’s Day tradition with lavishly decorated floats brightening the streets of Los Angeles. Genia Dulot shows us a float highlighting efforts to give military veterans second careers in computer coding and cybersecurity.]]
((NARRATOR))
This 136th annual Tournament of Roses Parade has nearly 40 moving platforms decorated with fresh flowers, including the float Coding for Veterans highlighting training for retired military servicemembers in software engineering and cybersecurity.
((NARRATOR))
Terry Rivera served six years in the U.S. Navy before joining the New York Fire Department. He says damage to his lungs from responding to the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center forced him into disability retirement. After working in emergency management and disaster relief, Rivera joined the Coding for Veterans program last year.
((Terry Rivera, Navy Veteran and Retired Firefighter))
“I strongly believe that the next, and it’s been depicted in a lot of movies, but the next 9/11 scale – bigger – will probably be a cyberattack, so that’s what got me interested. Hopefully I could help prevent that from happening.”
Coding for Veterans originated in Canada and is run here in Los Angeles through the University of Southern California. Executive Director Jeff Musson says they have high job placement rates and more than 800 veterans currently enrolled.
((Jeff Musson, Coding for Veterans))
“You go from serving on the battlefield to now serving in cyberspace. And when you look at the soft skills of the people in the military – attention to detail, leadership, teamwork – those are the skills that employers are really looking for.”
((NARRATOR))
The online program is self-paced, can be completed in six to 12 months and includes career coaching, says Terry Wolfe of USC’s Marshall School of Business.
((Terry Wolfe, University of Southern California))
“How to put together your resume, how to do a job search, how to get effective coaching in terms of helping you to track in terms of your interest and career development, how to develop a LinkedIn profile, some very basic tools that if you are coming out of the military for 20 years, you would never know, you would never have had a need for any of that.”
((NARRATOR))
Alejandra Rodriguez volunteered to help decorate the float because of her family’s military background.
((Alejandra Rodriguez, Float Volunteer))
“I saw the difficulty transitioning. They did have PTSD. They did struggle. They saw a lot. My sister did two tours -- and I am gonna cry -- and she came back different, and it was very difficult as a family to see her struggle, and at the time the VA didn’t have a lot of money to support them, so as a family we did the best that we could.”
((NARRATOR))
The Coding for Veterans float joined others this New Year’s Day, expanding the program’s visibility with a parade broadcast to millions.
((Genia Dulot, VOA News, Los Angeles))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJanuary 1, 2025 21:56 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
