On this day in the CPAC, I accomplished many tasks. My supervisor asked me to find a specific MCAAP reg (regulation) in the database of regulations, so that the reg could be updated and reflect the current status of the installation. The reg was pertaining to environmental management and the installation. I quickly found that MCAAP has several regs. Some of which are specifically for the installation itself, and some which span across the Department of Army (DA) and the entire Department of Defense (DoD). I found the reg by boss requested so that she could change the verbiage, receive command approval, and then publish the regulation.

Also, my supervisor let me shadow our senior HR specialist for an entire day. I was able to see the ways in which she coordinated with headquarters (HQ), answered customer inquiries, and handled the day-to-day tasks that every HR specialist must undergo. I was tasked with the usual intern duties such as making copies and printing address labels, but it was not as mundane a process as I thought it would be. The senior specialist was very insightful and did not leave me with all the "dirty" work. She actually made half of her copies and printed half of her address labels too. For the more substantial duties, she let me sit in her office and listen to her telephone conversations, and even let me watch her process personnel actions in the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System (DCPDS). I could have been very discouraged by standing at the copy machine all day, but instead I was encouraged and became hopeful for my future career. I am so thankful for employees who realize that it is important to show the younger generation what the job will actual be like, instead of just assigning miniscule tasks that will depress even the happiest of interns. Because of my shadow experience with one of our senior HR specialists, I am even more excited about graduation and my career to follow.