JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
-What's your full name, job title and unit?
Jan Renzy Suarez, Financial Operations Technician, 11th Comptroller Squadron
-What's your hometown city and state (and country, if not U.S.)?
Los Angeles, California
- What has being in the military allowed you to do that you wouldn’t have otherwise allowed you to do?
Serving in the military has allowed me to open up my vision to all these opportunities that I can utilize and take advantage of, such as career mentorship and college scholarships; with these opportunities, it will definitely help me achieve my goals. My goal is to commission and earn a master’s degree in Psychology. I’m interested in people’s thoughts and motivations that fuel their actions.
-What's the coolest thing you've done in the military?
The coolest thing I’ve done so far while in the military is visit the White House and tour each of its rooms. I witnessed how beautiful and prestigious the furniture is. It also allowed me the opportunity to look and examine the paintings and utensils that each of the previous Presidents had used.
-What hobbies do you have/what do you do in your spare time?
I love physical activities like basketball, volleyball and football. I’m also a competitive player of video games. I also use my spare time to watch documentaries on food, mysteries and serial killers.
- What challenges have you overcome?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced in my life was developing in a new type of environment. Being in the military has made me want to be an outstanding Airman in my job knowledge and in how I relate to my fellow Airmen. I’ve also been challenged in having to build resilience in various challenges, such as learning my job, completing my CDC’s and maintaining my physical fitness.
What are two interesting facts about yourself?
I was named after my birth month abbreviations, which is January. Second, I’m Filipino and I can cook delicious Filipino food such as Adobo and Sinigang.
How has the outbreak effected your job?
Work has been managed properly by our leadership and has been working fine on teleworking so far despite having this pandemic or outbreak that we are currently dealing with. Due to our current situation, we stop having customers and phone calls, which made it easier for us.
What are you doing to stay active during all of this?
Gyms being closed down didn’t stop me from staying active, but it encouraged me to focus more on calisthenics and run the track.
How have you stayed resilient during the COVID epidemic?
Due to COVID, our team managed to telework to stay on top of things. COVID did not stop me from getting my work done as making that I practice social distancing as well.
Why it is important for Airmen to stay connected even during times of social distancing?
Connection to other Airmen is important to me because as an Airman, it is my responsibility to make sure that my fellow wingman are doing well, staying active, and taking the precautions to avoid contracting COVID.
If you are teleworking, what are some things teleworking has helped with in your mission?
Teleworking has helped me focus on my mission because I don’t get customer calls at home like we do in a normal day. Not having the distraction of a ringing phone keeps me on task to finish what needs to be done like clearing eFinance vouchers and assisting customers via email.