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JBSA News
NEWS | Feb. 11, 2019

Area high school students shadow Mission and Installation Contracting Command mentors

By Ben Gonzales Mission and Installation Contracting Command Public Affairs Office

The Mission and Installation Contracting Command priority of developing adaptive leaders skewed toward a younger audience with the mentorship of 29 San Antonio high school students at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Feb. 5. 

MICC officials hosted students from Churchill and Warren high schools as part of the San Antonio Job Shadow Day to show students what kind of skills and education they may need in their future careers.

The MICC joined more than 118 area businesses to mentor more than 3,000 students to help shape San Antonio's future workforce. Churchill High School and Warren High School students teamed with eight MICC mentors to explore career paths in contracting, legal, operations and others. 

Job Shadow Day is sponsored by SA Works in partnership with Junior Achievement to allow a half day of experience-based learning while mentors explained how to prepare for and succeed in a professional workforce.


As part of Job Shadow Day, students visited mentors' work areas, engaged in discussions on professionalism and ethics, and learned interview skills. Brig. Gen. Bill Boruff, MICC commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Marco Torres, MICC command sergeant major and a mentor for the day, took time to answer questions from the students as well as give them insight on how to succeed in life and their careers.

"Education is very important, but it is also important to take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally," Torres said. ""Students sharing the day with us represent the best among young men and women in our classrooms throughout San Antonio. Their budding interests in business and law reflects a sincere desire for continued growth and learning. These same traits can be found in our professional uniformed and civilian workforce today at the MICC and in our Army."

While students came to learn about job skills, they also made an impression on Greg Walker, MICC commandant and mentor for the day.

"The day was about giving back to our community and the great opportunity to mentor our young, bright, future leaders," said Walker, who is also a retired Army first sergeant. "Job Shadow Day was both rewarding for the students and insightful for what they need to do to prepare for their future whether they join the Army or go on to college and professional careers. After spending the day with the students, I certainly left feeling that America's future is in great hands as these students are definitely some of our nation's best and brightest."

Yami Moneymaker, a MICC procurement analyst, provided real-world knowledge to students she mentored. While the four students she was matched with may have already decided on what careers they are leaning toward, Moneymaker reminded them there are different career opportunities they could find in the Army.

"There is innovation, creativity and all kinds of opportunities in the Army such as business, medical, judicial, and STEM career fields," Moneymaker said. "Job Shadow Day was all about helping the students succeed in the future and show them different careers available."

The students had an interactive and fascinating day with their mentors, according to their teachers, April Bennett of Warren and Georgina Acosta of Churchill.

The Job Shadow Day gave the students valuable hands-on experience," Acosta said. "The time and efforts of all the mentors really make a difference in the lives of our students."

Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. 

MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.