Joshua Harmon
Internship Dates: June-August 2020
DISA Assignment: Infrastructure Executive
School/Year: University of Missouri Sophomore
Major/Focus: Electrical Engineering
"Due to COVID-19, my internship is remote, but I’m getting a lot of experiences out of it. I’m learning about all kinds of topics including satellite communications, national security and upper-level management."

Intern Profile: Joshua Harmon
DISA offers several internship options for students and recent graduates to grow their skills, enhance career potential and support the mission for warfighters around the world.

The program provides students enrolled in a variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in a federal agency while earning an education.

Joshua Harmon, a former student intern in the Infrastructure Development Branch at DISA Headquarters, completed his internship, Aug. 21.

Harmon studies electrical engineering at the University of Missouri, and was selected as a summer hire at DISA.

“Due to COVID-19, I was having difficulty finding available internship opportunities that would be a good fit for me,” said Harmon. “I reached out to some faculty at Mizzou, and they put me in contact with individuals at DISA.”

During his interview, Harmon expressed his interests and desired career path to determine the best fit … not only for himself, but also for the agency. Infrastructure Development seemed like a great fit, so the onboarding process began, and he started training.

“I began with a class that provided a DISA overview and described the agency’s role in supporting the warfighter and protecting national security,” he said. “I was then able to shadow different people through the Commercial Virtual Remote platform, which proved to be the most beneficial training.”

Harmon had the opportunity to observe interagency meetings as well as those involving other DoD organizations.

“I was invited to listen in and absorb information,” said Harmon. “After each meeting, I met with the person who invited me. We went over who was involved, what was said, the purpose and how it applies to us.”

The internship gave Harmon the opportunity to not only explore how DISA operates, but to experience the culture of its people and develop a network of his own.

“One of the best parts of this experience has been interacting with DISA employees,” he said. “They always say ‘mission first, people always,’ and I honestly believe that it’s true. I’ve met some incredible people with some great stories.”

Harmon began classes for his sophomore year, Aug. 24. He said he still has a lot of exploring to do and is uncertain what his future summers will look like, but DISA will always be an option.

“Whether it’s next summer or even when I graduate, I would love to come back and work with DISA because it’s been an incredible experience,” he said.

Harmon believes the program can be beneficial to anyone, regardless of his or her interests, career path or professional background.

“The DISA internship program is a great opportunity to work around something that really matters, such as supporting our warfighters, while increasing your technical and social skills,” said Harmon. “No matter your major, DISA is such a large organization there is a spot where you can contribute to the mission and also gain some great experience during the summer.”

DISA’s internship program is one of the many ways the organization promotes employment opportunities.

“DISA is really proactive in reaching out to universities and making these opportunities available to students like myself,” he said. “This summer is a testament to the agency’s dedication because I’m sure it wasn’t easy getting summer hires and ensuring their engagement and success.”

For more information about these paid-internship opportunities and to find out if you or someone you know maybe eligible, contact the Strategic Outreach and Talent Acquisition Team and visit the Students and Recent Graduates page at DISA.mil.

Intern Question and Answer: Josh Harmon
1) Please introduce yourself. Tell us about the school you attend, your major/focus area, what career field you are pursuing and what drew you to it.

My name is Josh Harmon, and I am an electrical engineering major at the University of Missouri, Columbia. I am pursuing a career in electrical engineering research in the pursuit of preserving our national security. As I am still early in my collegiate career, I do not have an emphasis in my major, but I am interested in pulsed power and wireless communications. I chose electrical engineering because I think electromagnetic physics is really interesting, and I love technical problem solving.

2) Please explain what attracted you to an internship at DISA. How did you learn about the opportunity? What steps did you take to apply? How did you find out that you were hired?

I was initially interested in an internship at DISA because I knew I would be surrounded by people who are passionate about protecting our nation and are experts in their field. I learned about DISA through faculty at the University of Missouri, Columbia, who suggested I pursue a summer internship with DISA. With the help from faculty, I was able to reach out directly to DISA employees who helped me find a summer position in DISA where I could work on things that are really interesting to me.

3) Now, share information about the DISA organization you are interning with. What does your branch/office do? What projects have you enjoyed working on during your internship?

I have been working with the Infrastructure Development Branch of DISA, which works to secure and implement advancing technology for United States information communication and security. While working with DISA, I had the opportunity to divide my time between shadowing civilian and military DISA employees and working on technical projects. Over the summer, I worked on a technical project over United States Military Satellite Communication, which I was able to present to high-level DISA employees at the end of my internship.

4) Explain what you have learned through your internship at DISA. How will you apply those lessons learned to your future studies and employment opportunities?

The DISA summer internship has shown me that public service through DISA is not only very rewarding, it can also be a lot of fun. I developed a deeper understanding of what every day work for a federal defense branch is like, which directly impacts how I will pursue future employment opportunities, especially those with DISA. Finally, the most important thing I have learned from this internship is that DISA is an impactful and highly important aspect of our national security. The agency is full of kind and highly-skilled people who are all passionate about making sure the United States of America is safe.

Stacie Johnson
Internship Dates: January 2020-Present
DISA Assignment: Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization
School/Year: Bellevue University Graduate Student
Major/:Focus: Acquisition and Contracts
"The best thing about working for DISA has been the opportunity to engage with vendors and award contracts. Coming from the military, I'm used to operating on a different side of life-cycle management, but this allows me to see and work it from a different perspective."

Intern Profile: Stacie Johnson
Regardless of the stage in life, pursuing a career can be a daunting task, which is one reason DISA offers dynamic career-development programs with training and mentorship.

Stacie L. Johnson, a student trainee contract specialist with the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is enrolled in the DISA Pathways Internship Program.

She retired from the Air Force July 1, 2018, and studies acquisitions and contracting at Bellevue University in pursuit of her master’s degree.

“I heard about Pathways from fellow military members,” said Johnson. “I learned the program allows you to apply while in school, and DISA will train you from top to bottom how to become a contracting specialist.”

She had the opportunity to collaborate with contracting officers while working logistics in the Air Force, and became interested in switching professions toward the end of her military career.

“I was excited when I retired, because I felt like I could finally do what I wanted to do,” she said. “I applied for entry-level contracting positions at DISA through USAJobs, and was offered a position with the Pathways Internship Program.”

Johnson started her internship Jan. 6, and after three days of onboarding she began her training.

“Initially, we had a two-week foundations course that introduced us to contracting and provided us with source material that mapped out how everything works from start to finish,” she said. “It was so beneficial and really prepared us to enter the field. I don’t know everything yet, I’m still learning, but it’s so intriguing.”

Although learning her new job is complicated at times, she says the most challenging part of her experience has been adjusting to the civilian sector.

“Trying to immerse myself back into a civilian lifestyle was difficult to do after being in the military for so many years,” she said. “Fortunately, a lot of DISA employees are prior military and that helps, and everyone has been patient and understanding as I navigate this transition.”

Based on availability, interns may be offered a position upon completion of their respective degrees.

“I would love to stay with DISA because I’ve learned so much, built such a great rapport and established relationships,” she said. “It would be wonderful to continue to grow and learn more about the organization.”

Although her transition has had its difficulties, Johnson believes she has found what she was looking for in the DISA Pathways Internship Program.

“Life after the military can be one of the most frustrating and confusing times, because you don’t always know what to expect,” she said. “Don’t take the program for granted, always believe in yourself and you can do whatever you set your mind to. That’s how I got here.”

For more information about these paid internship opportunities and to find out if you or someone you know maybe eligible, contact the Strategic Outreach and Talent Acquisition Team and visit the Students and Recent Graduates page at DISA.mil.

Hello, I am Stacie Johnson, I live in Illinois and have two beautiful young adults and a significant other. There are many things that interest me … relaxing, shopping, eating, sometimes at the same time and spending time with my family and friends. I am currently enrolled in Bellevue University online majoring in Acquisition and Contracts and I’d love a career in contracts. While in the military, I worked in the logistics management career field, which allowed me to be a part of the inner circle of the contracting squadron. If I was unable to procure what the mission needed, the contracting squadron was my next phone call. That relationship enabled many missions to succeed and warfighters to have what they needed when they needed it. I was able to see almost the entire lifecycle process and knew my work was not in vain. The joy I had from knowing that the determination of the contracting squadron with my assistance, many lives were saved, and I knew once I retired I wanted to become the best contracting officer I could be and continue to make a difference.

2) Please explain what attracted you to an internship at DISA. How did you learn about the opportunity? What steps did you take to apply? How did you find out that you were hired?

Once I retired, I researched employment in contracting, and each job asked for at least a couple years’ experience, which I did not have. In speaking with some friends in contracting, they told me about a program called Pathways. I researched the program and learned that if hired, I would learn about contracts from the beginning to end and that’s what I wanted. At this time, I was working overseas as a contractor, and knew I was ready to return home, so I started looking for employment on USAjobs. I applied for the Pathways Contracting program and waited. Then one day, just as I was about to go to bed, I received a phone call from DFAS informing me I was hired.

3) Now, share information about the DISA organization you are interning with. What does your branch/office do? What projects have you enjoyed working on during your internship?

I work for in the telecommunications section at the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, DISA’s commodity-based, telecommunications and IT services contracting arm. My office deals with point-to-point Ethernet connections and bandwidth increases. I enjoy being a contract specialist. I have been able to work new starts, amends, changes, completions, disconnects and discontinues.

4) Explain what you have learned through your internship at DISA. How will you apply those lessons learned to your future studies and employment opportunities?

I’ve learned that DISA believes in its people and is willing to give you a chance to be the best you can be. DISA is a team and wants each member of the team to excel because when one excels we all excel. The interns are just as important as the full-time workforce and everyone wants to help us succeed. Being that I am pursing my master’s degree, I have already applied a lot of what I have learned from the job to the classroom and vice versa. As far as how I will use it for employment opportunities, this is my best life and whatever the place of employment, the processes and procedures I’ve learned will always be ingrained within me and go where I go. It can only benefit me and my career.