Tobyhanna Army Depot, PA –
Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) observed National Intern Day (July 30) by taking the opportunity to spotlight some of the depot's employees, who found their way to the installation through the Pathways Program.
The Pathways Program provides streamlined Federal employment opportunities for students near graduation and recent graduates. Current students can participate in the Internship Program for temporary summer jobs while recent graduates can apply for permanent jobs at Tobyhanna.
Avianna Compierchio, a Management Analyst in the Resource Management directorate's Process Improvement Division (PID), joined Team Tobyhanna in February. After obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, the Lackawanna College alumnus had only one employer in mind.
"I always wanted to come work at the depot," she said. "My grandfather is a World War II veteran and has always encouraged me to seek a job where I could support the military. I'm truly thrilled to be here."
Part of Compierchio's academic studies included an internship at the grocery chain Wegmans, where she had an opportunity to hone her process improvement skills - something that came in handy when she landed the PID position.
"I enjoyed the opportunity to help improve a process and I'm really excited to do that full-time now," she said.
In the future, Avianna plans to pursue a Master’s Degree and would like to take a role where she can deploy continuous improvement in another depot organization.
"There is so much opportunity at the depot, and I'd like to grow myself so I can help the organization grow."
Joshua Winslow joined Team Tobyhanna as an Electronics Helper in the Range Threat Components Branch of the C4ISR Directorate through the Pathways Program in June 2019.
Winslow's work ethic has been recognized throughout his workplace. His supervisor, Stephen Calles, said that he has been instrumental to the AN/VPQ-1 Radar Threat Generator mission, particularly during staffing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The work I do uses test equipment and sleuthing through schematics to diagnose problems that the incoming circuit cards have,” said Winslow. “Tracking down and correcting problems one at a time to achieve a fully functional system is very gratifying.”
The AN/VPQ-1 is a small radar that simulates radar signatures of anti-aircraft artillery and missile systems for training military personnel in countermeasures.
Winslow shares that his time at TYAD has been an interesting and insightful experience, helping to prepare him for future career endeavors.
“Diagnosing issues every day has definitely enhanced my knowledge and understanding of those types of problems,” said Winslow. “It is very valuable to have good troubleshooting skills.”
As a current student at Penn State University, Winslow is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
“I intend to concentrate my area of expertise to the computer semiconductor industry,” said Winslow. “My ideal position would be working with a team on designing the next CPU (central processing unit) and GPU (graphics processing unit) architecture.”
Many interns have used their entry-level positions as a springboard for career success at Tobyhanna. Tanya Chervenak started interning through the Pathways predecessor, the Student Career Experience Program. Upon graduation with a degree in Electronics Technology, she began working on the shop floor, repairing several different types of electronics equipment. Chervenak's enthusiasm and technical expertise led to several different assignments across the depot, helping her expand her skill set significantly.
"Being exposed to such a diverse group of personnel helped me grow as an employee and as a person," she said, adding that her former co-workers had an extremely positive influence on her life.
Last year, Chervenak was promoted to Chief of the Resource Management Directorate's Employee Development Division. She says continuing education was the key to her achievement.
"Getting my degree made a big difference - but it was hard. To balance it all, I'd do coursework late at night, on weekends, and even snuck some in during the early morning. Anyone who wants to continue their education can do it, especially with the tuition assistance provided by the depot. Getting out of your own way is the hardest part."
Reflecting upon her experiences as an intern, Chervenak says the program was truly invaluable to her education.
"As an intern, I had the benefit of learning in the classroom and then coming on-post to apply it on equipment. The hands-on experience gave me the best of both worlds."
Students interested in future internship opportunities with Team Tobyhanna can apply through USAJobs at www.usajobs.gov. For more information, students can visit the Office of Personnel Management website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.
About 4,000 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.