Last updated: May 6, 2026
Article
My Valley Forge Story: Michael Dipaolo
NPS/ Michael Dipaolo
The last stage in my certification requirements was completing student teaching. I am not sure who came up with the phrase “those who can’t, teach” but clearly, they were not teachers. The world of a teacher was so much more than anything I learned in the college classroom. I ended up resigning from student teacher bringing my life plan to a complete halt.
I was able to graduate with my history degree but had to now pivot from thinking I was going to be secondary ed history teacher to the unknown. I started looking into other options: grad school, substitute teaching, researcher. With my heart low, I couldn’t commit to anything and got really down. I needed to get out and clear my head. I special visit to a nearby National Park changed everything.
I stopped by Valley Forge mid-winter of 2008 by fate while going to the King of Prussia area. I honestly couldn’t think of ever coming to VAFO prior yet when I got to the park, there was a feeling of familiarity. The Rangers had just completed an education program using the wooden muskets. I chatted with the Rangers, of which, I wish I could remember whom it was while just helping them put back the muskets. It felt very much at home.
I spent an hour checking out the Visitor Center, watching the film, and then happen to wander up to the Admin building. I didn’t know it wasn’t open to the public but the staff I encountered, again wish I remember who, greeted me warmly and we chatted about the park and even about working for the park. It was that lightbulb moment. I thought maybe this was my new path.
This one day led me on a going on 17-year journey. It seemed like a perfect match of someone who loved history and started doing living history to work for an agency that protects historical sites among others. Like many journeys, it had many winding roads, roadblocks, headaches, and successes.
I started doing research on this magically USAjobs website I was told were parks post openings. I saw the wide variety of positions not only the NPS but government-wide looked to fill. I started applying to anything that seemed reasonable, and I qualified for. It is here I noticed this many Park Ranger positions said they required a “type II commission”. Naïve me thought, this must be some special training all Park Rangers took. I learned very quickly what that means and what I should be looking for.
NPS/ Michael Dipaolo
As I said my new journey had some winding roads. Assuming I needed to get a “type II commission” before applying for any park ranger position, I found a school that had a specialized program to gain that accreditation. So, I quickly registered at Southwestern Community College in Franklin, NC for this ranger program. I learned very quickly there is a differentiation between the interpretive Park Ranger and Protection/LE Park Ranger and what a “type II Commission” meant. I did complete the three month program, learned more about the NPS, and, most importantly, realized law enforcement wasn’t something I was built for.
This chance schooling did bear fruit in a different manner. When I got back home, I continued applying for every job I found. I found an opening as a Park Guide at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (HOBE) in Daviston, AL. I had never been to Alabama nor had much insight into this facet of within the War of 1812 umbrella but those aspect of the position intrigued me to learn more. I learned quickly that responses to applications take months if ever. Eventually I got an interview and by early spring 2009 my first job offer. Funny enough, a week later I got my second offer for the National Mall that I turned down since I accepted the HOBE offer.
In the correspondence with HOBE with my onboarding, I learned about the location, housing opportunities, and org chart of the park. It was during this, I realized my classmate at Southwestern Community College was a Ranger at HOBE. He put in a good word for me during the hiring process which helped me get the position. It would be the first of many times the network of the NPS helped me. So I packed up my car and drove 18 hours to Alabama to start May 2009.
NPS/ Michael Dipaolo
I am so glad I took the Park Guide opportunity at HOBE. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to get out, immerse myself learning about the NPS to start my career, and hone my skills. I learned about Interpretation and living history skills from a Harry Yount award winner. I participated in musket and cannon demonstrations at the park. I wonder experience helping the different teams. Come November 2009, I packed up my stuff and headed home to figure out my next opportunity.
As I was learning, Federal hiring is an emotional rollercoaster. You craft a resume, draft a cover letter, pour into the KSAs, all in hope to make the master list. Sometimes you could get referred to the hiring official, sometimes not even make it that far because you were too honest with your rater or there were more veterans that applied. Sometimes your application seemed to go into a black hole and would never hear anything more.
Even getting referred to the hiring official was never a guarantee next step. More often than not you might not here from the location to schedule an interview. Sometimes you would get interest check-ins just to see if you were still available but then nothing more. Knowing my opportunity at HOBE was seasonal, I feverously tried to secure my next opportunity. Thankfully, that door opened soon after getting home.
I got back from HOBE just before Thanksgiving in 2009 and got for an offer from the National Mall. As I mentioned the NPS network is an funny thing. It helped me get my job at HOBE and would help with the Mall. The chief ranger at HOBE knew a supervisory ranger on the Mall. He put in a good word for me when my application popped up. I was offered a one year term in DC asking when could I start. I didn’t hesitate to say immediately.
December 7th 2009 I drove two and a half hours to start my first shift working on the National Mall. I was so excited for the position I spent the first month commuting to and from Pennsylvania while apartment hunting. It was worth it for me so I could spend as much time as I could in that amazing place surrounded by iconic sites, and a slew of knowledgeable, dedicated Rangers that made that place special. Along with the day to day operations staffing the various monuments and memorials, I helped with special events, developed programs, and gave tours to people from around the world.
All good things must come to an end so in December 2010, I handed back my badge for the second time. I wasn’t so lucky this time around for my next position to come. I had to wait three months before being called by Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, MA. Unlike my previous two positions, this one wasn’t who I knew but what I knew. My combination of knowledge of American history with my experience giving tours, made me a great fit for leading visitors through the birth homes of the 2nd and 6th President of the United States as well as the estate home of four generations of the Adams family.
NPS
As with all my NPS opportunities, I tried to maximize my experience as much as possible to both make myself useful but also build my resume. Along with the standard tours, I developed special programs, led school programs, and helped with fee collection. It was an amazing place with a great cast of characters that I would not have traded for the world. But it was another seasonal position and, although I had the option of coming back next year, I was at a point I hoped to get permanent.
My journey took a detour as I ended my Adams season a month early to snag a permanent position elsewhere in the Federal government. I noticed more and more permanent NPS positions fell more only available to those with federal status and not open competitively. I made the realization and decision the best way to work for the NPS was to leave. I never would have guessed my first opportunity would be with TSA. I became at transportation security officer at the Lancaster regional airport.
I gained a lot of respect for the TSA and job it does. You deal with a variety of individuals, usually in a hurry, while maintaining a professional image to provide security. I spend 18 months both on the line as well as using down time to take on more collateral duties to further my resume. I appreciated my time with the TSA but still hoped I could get back to the NPS. In June of 2013, I got that opportunity where it all started.
I wasn’t sure if an Admin Support Assistant position would be a good fit but when I saw the opportunity at Valley Forge plus Hopewell Furnace, I jumped at the opportunity. It became a full circle moment getting to work at the site that sparked my life goal. This position because more than I ever could have dreamed. I have been here ever since helping across the various Teams in any capacity to support the mission.
I am proud to add to the Valley Forge story sharing the history and inspiring generations of visitors.