Women in Unconventional Jobs
By Rebekah Diamond-Staff Writer
Holyoke Firefighter
At 5 feet tall and just over 100 pounds, Maria Pelchar does not exactly personify the image of what we have come to expect a Firefighter to look like. Born in Guatemala, Pelchar was the daughter of a Fire Captain. Growing up, the neighborhood kids would often hang out at the fire station, slide down the pole and enjoy barbeques with the fire department. It does not come as a big surprise that Pelchar grew up dreaming of being a Firefighter. At the age of 17 she moved to the United States. Being very conscience of her petite frame she kept her dream of becoming a Firefighter hidden. Instead she pursued her Bachelors Degree at Bay Path College and worked as a Paralegal for several years.
Eight years later, at age 34, with her three children in school, Pelchar finally mustered up the courage to pursue her dream. When she started the application process she was not sure whether she would be accepted. The first step was taking the written test, which she passed. The second part of the test was the Physical Ability Test. It was this test that scared her the most. Pelchar determined regardless of the outcome, she would put forth her best effort on this portion of the test and be at peace with whatever the result was. To prepare for the test she borrowed a sledge hammer and practiced using it on a dead tree in her sister’s yard. She passed the test and was offered a job with the Holyoke Fire Department as the first female firefighter in the city of Holyoke. As of 2010, Pelchar is now joined by two other female Firefighters.
Today Pelchar’s official title is Fire and Life Safety Educator. She is one of four Inspectors in Holyoke appointed by the Fire Chief. She has been an Inspector for about 2 ½ years and is the liaison between the Fire Department and the community. This is her chance to integrate the intimate atmosphere of the Guatemalan fire station, into her present work with the Holyoke community.
There is a real sense of reciprocity between Pelchar and the fire department. On the one hand, she has given a new face to the fire department. The Fire Chief has told her that she is the softer side of the department. On the other hand, nothing causes Pelchar to light up more then when she speaks about her coworkers. She views them more as part of her extended family- as brothers and sisters.
An old proverb states, “Good things come in small packages,” and that is what the city of Holyoke learned first hand when Pelchar joined the fire department.
Indian Orchard Auto Detailer
When most 20 year old girls think about getting a summer job, they tend to think of working as a waitress, grocery store clerk, or perhaps a receptionist. Seldom do they envision working in car garage.
When you walk into Oak Street Auto Body & Repair in Indian Orchard it is not unusual to see Jessica Pafumi, a perky, 20 year old covered in grease working on cars. For Pafumi working at this family run garage is second nature. When she was 13 years old she began answering phones and doing office work. At 16, she began driving customers’ cars, and picking up parts in Boston.
Not surprisingly, customers are taken aback by seeing this young women working in a male dominated garage. Customers tend to look past Pafumi and seek out a male to consult with. It therefore means a lot to her when customers acknowledge her work.
Pafumi’s job is to detail cars. This job requires her to get used cars ready to be sold. Most of the cars Pafumi details are salvage vehicles, which have been involved accidents. It is Pafumi’s job to clean them out and return the vehicle to an improved status. Her abilities and her efficiency in restoring these vehicles to a cleaner and newer state enable owner to put the cars up for sale immediately. Pafumi has a “window” into car owners’ just from observing how they care for their cars’ and what is left in them at the time she begins detailing. She has come across memorabilia and sometimes, blood. Jessica is privy to some of the most personal aspects of a stranger’s life.
Parfumi’s experience in shop has also made her popular with her girlfriends. Although her role in the shop does not include being a diagnostician, when something goes wrong with a friend’s car, she often pin points the problems correctly. Pafumi’s competency extends to having her own car repaired. She enjoys not needing to rely on a male to change her oil and her tires and takes pride in not being swindled by other mechanics.
Pafumi’s interest in cars does not end in the garage, she actually races them too. She recently helped her father restore a 1969 Camaro which she now races at Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York. Her best time on a quarter mile track is 12.9 seconds.
Pafumi’s ultimate goal is being a tour guide for rock climbers, skiers and snowboarders. She is entering her junior year at Johnson State College in Vermont studying outdoor education, a field that is predominantly male. One thing for sure is that her experience in the auto shop will be of help when she enters the male dominated field of outdoor leadership and touring.
Wales Postmaster
I n the United States the work of our Mail Carriers is one of the oldest and perhaps least valued jobs. The speed that it takes to mail a letter pales in comparison to the instant satisfaction of sending an email, knowing it has been delivered within seconds.
It has become apparent from the media that the U.S Postal Service has been experiencing financial difficulties, but you would not know it by the way Jan Motyka speaks about her job as postmaster. Although there have been cutbacks in her post office, Motyka continues to be optimistic. She speaks of her post office with great affection, referring to it as her second home.
Motyka began her career for the post office 15 years ago in the village of Three Rivers which is part of the town of Palmer. During this time she had varying positions ranging from clerk to officer in charge. She also spent time working in the towns of Ware and Wales before coming becoming a postmaster.
Motyka specific duties include operations, administration, management and support. Skills needed to carry out a career as a U.S. Postmaster include the ability to identify and solve problems, communicate effectively, carry out negotiations and mediation tasks and perform critical thinking processes. Postmasters must be able to envision a course of action and implement the steps necessary to achieve a successful result.
It took 12 years before the opportunity came up for Motyka to bid on the position of postmaster. One of the more dynamic parts of Motyka’s career came when her bid to become Postmaster was chosen over a higher ranking male Postal Worker. The level of a Postmaster is often determined by the revenue of the Post Office and the amount of the people served. The Wales Post Office is level 15. At the time Motyka put in her bid for Postmaster, she was a level 5 clerk and her male competitor was a level 13. Motyka knew the odds were not in her favor so she sought job interviewing tips from Dale Stafford, a Diversity Development Specialist within the Post Office. She practiced answering standard interview questions in front of her mirror until she felt confident. Her preparation served her well. Motyka later found out that her interviewer said she was the most prepared candidate he had ever come across
Motyka does not take her prominent role in the community for granted. She is very aware of the significance the post office has to the community of Wales. “I wanted to bring back a small hometown feeling to this post office. I feel I have done that. People feel comfortable stopping in to chat and sharing information about their personal lives. I would have to say I know 99 percent of the people in town. People like to be greeted by name.”
Historically, the job of being a female Postmaster is not that uncommon. According to the Smithsonian the highest numbers of women postmasters are in rural offices, where approximately half are women. Motyka's story illustrates women’s accomplishments in managing the complexities of a post office, regardless of its size.
As you thumb through your junk mail and find a nicely addressed letter to yourself, you may now have an appreciation of all the work that goes into it. This letter may have arrived from across the street or from overseas. A tremendous team effort went into this one piece of mail and Motyka, in her role as postmaster, is an integral part of this chain of events. |
The story of both of these organizations began over forty years ago. Through programs like Read Aloud, tutoring services, and mentoring, SSV has been helping to improve the lives of Springfield’s students for generations. BBBSHC is one of several hundred Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) agencies across the country. In fact, BBBS as an organization has been around for over one hundred years! BBBSHC brings a nationally recognized, highly evolved mentoring model to the communities in Hampden County and the towns of South Hadley and Granby.
And as much fun as Malik and Chazz have had together, having a Big Brother has done some other things for Malik as well. It was two years ago that Malik’s guardian Iris came up with the idea of getting him a Big Brother. She was concerned that maybe there was something missing from his life. “I heard lots of positive feedback about Big Brothers Big Sisters. He didn’t have any male role models, so I thought it would be a good program for him. I asked Malik if he wanted to be involved and he said yes.” Aside from having more fun, Iris explains that having a Big Brother has made other improvements in Malik’s life. “It’s really helped with his attitude. He used to be a little moodier and talked back, but that’s really improved. It’s helped to take some of the pressure off of me, and it’s great that he has a male figure in his life now.”