Growing up in Indiana, there was no money to send Samantha Stuntz to college.
So, she joined the Army, became a Reservist and eventually found the Department of Army intern program.
"When I enlisted in the Army, I was between my junior and senior years of high school," Stuntz said. "It was 2005 and the nation was at war. A big part of me wanted to give back, serve the nation and make a difference. But, I also wanted to take advantage of the G.I Bill. It was the best choice I ever made."
Ten years later and Stuntz, still a Reservist, is gaining valuable job experience as a Department of the Army intern working for the Civilian Human Resources Agency, assigned to the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center. She has completed her first year in her internship during which she did rotations through the different HR disciplines and is now beginning her second year where she will concentrate on certain HR areas. She is also close to finishing her master's degree at Florida Institute of Technology.
Stuntz represents the kind of employee that that Army hopes to gain for its future workforce through its intern program. She shared her story of Army employment with career counselors who attended Academia Day 2016 at the Aviation and Missile Command on April 7.
It was the Army that helped her choose Human Resources as a career.
"I have been in the Army Reserves for 10 years serving in Human Resources. Part of that time, I served in the Active Guard Reserve program in Erie, Pa. When I came off active duty, I went back to college full-time," said Stuntz, a staff sergeant.
Since enlisting, Stuntz has completed her bachelor's degree in Management with a concentration in Human Resources. She also married, had three children, lived in Virginia and moved to Alabama, where her husband -- Capt. Jeremiah Stuntz -- was activated to work in Operations for the Army Materiel Command. At first, Stuntz worked for a Huntsville defense contractor before she was assigned to the AMC-Army Reserve Element as a unit administrator.
She then decided to apply the HR experience of her Army Reservist career to a position as a federal employee, and she saw the intern program as a way to accomplish her goal. She applied for an internship through the Army Civilian, Training Education and Development System.
"I wanted a professional growth opportunity, so I applied for an internship in CP-10 (Career Program-Human Resources). I knew it would give me the opportunity to work in all the different functional areas," she said. "My veteran preference status helped open the door. But, it was also important that I had a high grade point average. Getting good grades up front is important for anyone applying for an internship."
As an ACTEDS intern, Stuntz's HR skills are developed through a blending of work assignments, formal training and self-development as she progresses through entry level to key positions. Stuntz and three other ACTEDS interns assigned to Redstone Arsenal travel to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., for training sessions. Her first year in the program has involved on-the-job training at CPAC in all HR functional areas, including classification, staffing, labor, and employee relations. During that year, she was focused on supporting the multiple commands to include AMC, Aviation and Missile Command, and Security Assistance Command.
"During the second year of my internship, I will have developmental assignments that are more in-depth," she said. "Redstone is a good place for developmental assignments because there are so many Army organizations here. Hopefully, at the end of the internship, I will be assigned right here. The opportunities are endless at Redstone. There really is so much potential here."
Stuntz will get to go on several developmental assignments to include a rotation in the Equal Employment Office, Legal, Headquarters Department of the Army G-1 (Human Resources), CHRA headquarters and even a budget office. Stuntz chose her three top HR functions -- employee relations, classification and staffing -- for her functional assignment. The intern program will work to place her in one of those top three choices.
"The training opportunities have been great. There have been a lot of real life experiences that I otherwise would not have received. I hope to use them when I transition from the intern program into permanent employment" she said. "In the intern program, you can climb the ranks really quickly if you have the right knowledge, skills and abilities."
Stuntz is encouraged about her future potential as a permanent DA employee, thanks to the emphasis AMC commander Gen. Dennis Via has put on hiring interns to eventually replace an aging workforce.
"Here at Redstone, we need people coming right out of college who have expertise in their field and who learn quickly," she said.
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