In the Spotlight

By MCSN Triniti Lersch, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Aviation Boatswains Mate [Handler] Second Class Yao Zoumavor, from Lome, Togo in West Africa, originally intended to join the Army. However, after speaking with the Army recruiter for ten minutes, a Navy recruiter tried to poach him as a joke. Luckily, it worked; Zoumavor joined the Navy on September 24, 2013.

Zoumavor currently works in Emergency Management in Naval Air Station Sigonella, and he has been stationed here for the past two years. His favorite part of Emergency Management is the challenge of working on something different from his previous commands.

“It’s very challenging because every single day is different,” said Zoumavor. “You can come to work, and there is new stuff going on. Because I’m an ABH, I’m working on stuff I never dealt with. I’m not used to working in emergency management.”

Zoumavor stays busy even when nothing urgent is happening. “If I have nothing going on, I join the crew on the watch floor and start working on the COVID-19 stuff, sending reports to region and updating trackers,” said Zoumavor.

Despite working in an unfamiliar field, Zoumavor has excelled. “His attention to detail as our AtHoc database manager ensures all personnel receive timely Emergency Notifications contributing to the health and safety of the NASSIG community,” said Aviation Boatswains Mate [Equipment] Chief Tinisha Franklin, the Leading Chief Petty Officer of Emergency Management.

His collateral duties consist of being the Emergency Management Career Counselor, Key Custodian, Restricted Area Monitor, and the Electronic Key Management System Manager.

Name: Yao Zoumavor Command: NAS SIGONELLA Department: Emergency Management

“ABH2 Zoumavor’s impact and influence as our Departmental Career Counselor has contributed to a 90% retention rate, spearheading our US Map enrollment improving both professional and personal development,” said Franklin

For his first command, Zoumavor served aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego for two years. During a hull swap, Zoumavor stayed with the ship and then it homeport swapped to Japan.

When he was stationed aboard a ship, Zoumavor worked on a flight deck which was intense and busy all day. Now onboard NAS Sigonella, he finds that working in a building involves different pace, which has allowed him to take college classes.

“His commitment to excellence is evident as he has only two semester hours remaining before completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration,” said Franklin.

Zoumavor believes strongly in the importance of making an effort, as demonstrated by his favorite quote from George Eliot: “Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have a striving good enough to be called a failure.”

“Sometimes you want to do something, but you feel like you can’t do it,” said Zoumavor. “You don’t give yourself the chance to at least try, so you just give up. I think if you really want to go for something, at least give it a try. Even if you fail, try another time. Keep trying.”

This attitude is evident to his supervisors. According to Franklin, “ABH2 Zoumavor demonstrates his pride and professionalism with a calm demeanor and a can do attitude no matter the task.”

Zoumavor enjoys his time in Sicily, because of the lifestyle. He also enjoys watching finance-based documentaries, reading, soccer, and traveling. His favorite part of Sicily is Taormina due to the busy streets and the food.