My Experience: Cherie Cummings

Posted on June 29, 2011. Filed under: Internship Experience, Meet the Women |

There were a lot of factors that motivated me to pursue this particular internship. This was my first internship and I was excited to get the hands on experience. Being in a major that is male dominated I was pleased to see an opportunity that was only for the betterment of the women in my major. Another factor that motivated me to pursue the internship was all of the encouragement that I received from the faculty and staff. They continuously implied how this was a great opportunity for women in Aviation Science.

I was at the United Stated Coast Guard located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Within the Coast Guard I was placed in the Aviation Logistics Center (ALC). The ALC is responsible for providing logistics support for all Coast Guard aviation related missions. ALC provides depot level maintenance, engineering, and supply, procurement, acquisition, and information service. ALC supports 26 Coast Guard aviation units that operate over 200 aircrafts.

My responsibilities in the workplace were to make sure the correct documents went into the proper place. This job was important because the documents contained a lot of confidential information. If one of the documents got misplaced I would be held responsible. Also one misplaced document could harm the record process. Therefore it was imperative that I paid strict attention to every record I put away. Another responsibility that I had was to make FEDX labels for the packages been sent out. Upon making the labels I had to place receipt of the packages to make sure strict documentation was recorded of incoming and outgoing packages. A task that I worked on dealt with making new file folders for documents that did not have a place. I had to categorize them and make sure everyone in the office was aware of this new file.

My expectations going into the program was to have a hand on experience. Also I expected to gain knowledge that I obtain from the on the job and be able to use it in the classroom. I expected my experience to be eye opening and let me see other careers in aviation that I could possibly go into upon graduation. Some of my expectations were met but not all of them. I did indeed have some hands on experience but I just felt as though I got stuck in doing one thing that I was not able to explore and see what other things I could do in my department. I did not feel like my supervisor and colleagues were informed about the internship expectations.

Before coming into the internship, I wasn’t aware of the duties and responsibilities of the Aviation Logistics Division of the Coast Guard in Elizabeth City, NC. I experienced networking with people and learned about all of the different divisions that make up the Coast Guard. I also learned about the significance the warehouse plays in distributing and receiving packages from other air units. Another thing that I learned was the importance of keeping accurate records of information. I experienced meeting new people and talking with people from the Coast Guard as well as the many civilians that work on the Coast Guard base. I now feel as though I have a greater understanding of the Coast Guard and their responsibilities.

I was actually strongly looking into the Coast Guard upon graduation. I learned a lot of information and was informed about things that are going on within the government. One of the most valuable things that I learned working the internship, is the significance of keeping accurate files and records between business transactions. If this duty is not fulfilled it becomes a liability for the companies and puts the whole transaction in jeopardy. Another thing that this experience taught me is responsibility. I was given quite a few responsibilities and I learned how to manage my time wisely. As I was matriculating through school and working I learned that I had to make sure my priorities were correct will fulfilling all of my responsibilities that I was given.

The things that I like the most about the internship were the experience that I have received. I have a greater understanding of the aviation world in general, not just limiting to the Coast Guard Aviation Division. I also liked how I was about to discover new abilities in myself that I didn’t know I had. Therefore I realize different traits that I possess and can take them me with me into the professional world.

While going into this internship I was really thinking about going into some part of the military. After going through this internship experience I believe the military is not the way I want to go. I’m more thinking about the aviation management side of things now. After realizing my newly found attributes, I know that airport management is something that I would be more interested in rather than the military. Basically this internship enhanced my vision of me in the future. I feel that I’m now ready to make that commitment on what I want to do in my future. I now have new goals, new dreams, and a new career path.