Cynthia Raulerson was looking for a way to broaden her professional horizons in a place with advancement opportunities. A job offer from the Garrison Intern Program was just what she wanted.

"The exposure and experience is something you can't get anywhere else," she said.

Raulerson joined the Garrison on June 8 and is preparing to begin her first rotation soon.

"I will start in Human Resources in July," she said. "Learning about each of these complex organizations in the time we have there is challenging. I hope that I can get a good grasp of each of them."

She thinks that she will ultimately land in resource management once her intern days are done. She hopes to be a comptroller.

"I just want to contribute to what Redstone does," she said.

Raulerson has bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Jacksonville State University. After her 2007 graduation, she began working for a defense contractor. After getting a taste of what the Army has to offer civilians, she knew she wanted to pursue it further.

She is also studying for both the Certified Managerial Accounting exam and Certified Public Accountant exam.

Growing up with a military father, Raulerson moved around a lot. Although she was born in Huntsville, she considers Korea home because that's where she spent the bulk of her formative years.

"I was there as a young child and also all through high school," she said. "I do speak Korean, but not as well as I would like."

Raulerson spends a lot of time with her two daughters, Savannah, 8, and Brooklyn, 7. Their activities are a big part of her life.

"Savannah is playing basketball and she loves that," Raulerson said. "They both have been doing soccer, tumbling and cheerleading."

The house she bought in March is keeping her busy with repairs, decorating and shopping. She quipped that she may spend the rest of her life unpacking. For her personal time, Raulerson likes to run. She began running cross country in high school and has stayed with it over the years.

"I try to run three to eight miles a day," she said. "I'm training for a half-marathon this fall, so I'm working on increasing my distance."