TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Senior Airman Pop is part of the 349th Civil Engineer Squadron team building a shed, so they can burn it, and finally blow it up. To the most casual observer, this might seem odd, even wasteful, but they’re doing it all for valuable training that will aid the warfighter. Thirteen different specialty codes encompassed by CE benefit directly from this project, providing seasoning training, on-the-job training, and annual tour opportunity for Airmen working on skill level upgrade and job proficiency. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ellen Hatfield)

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TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Senior Airman Pop is part of the 349th Civil Engineer Squadron team building a shed, so they can burn it, and finally blow it up. To the most casual observer, this might seem odd, even wasteful, but they’re doing it all for valuable training that will aid the warfighter. Thirteen different specialty codes encompassed by CE benefit directly from this project, providing seasoning training, on-the-job training, and annual tour opportunity for Airmen working on skill level upgrade and job proficiency. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ellen Hatfield)

Photo Details / Download Hi-Res
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Senior Airman Pop is part of the 349th Civil Engineer Squadron team building a shed, so they can burn it, and finally blow it up. To the most casual observer, this might seem odd, even wasteful, but they’re doing it all for valuable training that will aid the warfighter. Thirteen different specialty codes encompassed by CE benefit directly from this project, providing seasoning training, on-the-job training, and annual tour opportunity for Airmen working on skill level upgrade and job proficiency. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ellen Hatfield)

Photo Details / Download Hi-Res
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Senior Airman Pop is part of the 349th Civil Engineer Squadron team building a shed, so they can burn it, and finally blow it up. To the most casual observer, this might seem odd, even wasteful, but they’re doing it all for valuable training that will aid the warfighter. Thirteen different specialty codes encompassed by CE benefit directly from this project, providing seasoning training, on-the-job training, and annual tour opportunity for Airmen working on skill level upgrade and job proficiency. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ellen Hatfield)

Photo Details / Download Hi-Res

349th CES Airman's journey from Romania leads to Air Force Reserve

Published Sept. 23, 2014
By Ellen Hatfield
349th Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Adriana was born in Romania, to a father who carved out a career in the Romanian Army, and a mother who is an accountant. After earning her baccalaureate degree in journalism from Vasile Goldis University in her native country, she came to the U.S. as an au pair on a student visa.

Today, Senior Amn. Adriana Pop is a structural specialist with the 349th Civil Engineer Squadron, inspired to serve by her father's example. Her sister followed in her mother's footsteps, and is a certified public accountant in Romania. Her brother chose a different path, and is an engineer who lives in Canada.

As an au pair and student, Pop spent a year in Washington, D.C., eventually leaving for the west coast. Once in California, she completed a bilingual language arts degree at De Anza College, in Cupertino, studying English, French and Italian, while keeping up her fluency in her native Romanian.

After enlisting in the Air Force Reserve and completing basic military training and technical school, she had the opportunity for seasoning training with her squadron, for four months, which she eagerly embraced.

"I'm just learning right now, but I want to know more, and be able to do it on my own," she said. Pop has been able to use her training to be part of the team in the building phase of the 349th CES project, "Build it, burn it, blow it up." She is justifiably proud of her contribution to the shed under construction.

When not wielding a hammer or a nail gun, running a table saw or routing out a hinge fitting, Pop is a paralegal for a San Francisco law firm. She lives in Hayward, with her husband, who works for AT&T.