Internship Provides Inside Look into Life as a U.S. Air Marshal

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first few weeks of my internship. Before I began my internship with the Federal Air Marshal Service, I was both extremely excited and nervous to get started, probably because it was something that I had really wanted and I couldn’t believe that I had actually got it.

My first day in the office, when I came in to get my government ID and tour the facility, I was ecstatic to be there. I felt so comfortable around the Supervisory Federal Air Marshals who would be overseeing my internship process as well as everyone I had been introduced to as I walked through the office. They were all extremely friendly and welcoming to me. They even cracked jokes, and I felt very at home because their demeanor really went along with my personality.

I was so happily surprised by this because I kind of expected a federal agency to be extremely serious and intimidating but I was relieved to see that they were themselves around me. I was oriented to the job with a tour around the facility. They showed me all of the different rooms in their section of the building and told me about what each of them were used for. This made me more familiar with what the air marshals do and the purpose that their organization serves. I was introduced to the fine details of the job even further through the Sensitive Security Information Handbook and the Non-Disclosure Agreement I had signed to maintain confidentiality.

The culture of the organization seems pretty fast paced. Everyone in the office is constantly on the move, whether they’re off to catch a flight, going to the range, training in the gym, etc. Being that I am in the operations office most of the time, I have gotten to know the culture of this area of the job best. The people working in Operations seem like a very close-knit group. I wouldn’t say it’s loud in operations, but there is always friendly conversation happening. They even pick on each other a little bit, so I find myself laughing a lot throughout the day. I like this a lot better than complete seriousness and silence, as it gives the office a more comfortable feel, especially for an intern. They are actually surprised that I’m as quiet as I am.

This type of work and the type of office culture suit my personality perfectly. I am the type of person who cannot sit behind a desk all day. I need something that keeps me on my feet, and federal air marshals seem to always be on the move. I would also like to work somewhere where I feel comfortable around my co-workers and can even joke around sometimes, and this seems like a place where that can happen, too. The job itself includes a lot of traveling which is something that I would love to do in my life. They say that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life and this job setting seems to really align with both my professional and lifestyle goals. I could genuinely see myself working with the Federal Air Marshal Service in the future.

The Bergami Summer Internship Program is funded through the generosity of Board of Governors member – and former Board Chair – Sam Bergami ’85 EMBA and his wife, Lois, and the Division of Student Affairs. The students are blogging about the experience throughout the summer.