VIDEO: At her school’s recent career day, Penelope Montenegro knew immediately what she wanted to be: a firefighter. She came to class dressed like her father, Paul, who works for the Fort Myers Beach Fire District.
But some older kids in Penelope’s school didn’t understand how a girl could be a firefighter.
“At different points throughout the day, people snickered,” Paul said. “They made comments.”
But on Wednesday, Penelope got confirmation she can be anything she wanted. Female firefighters from across Southwest Florida showed up at Oasis Elementary South to show support for the third grader.
“We are here to show there are amazing things about this job,” Jennifer Gordon, a firefighter on Fort Myers Beach, said. “Anyone can be anything they want to be.”