What do you do for a living?

On Ramstein, 1st Lt. Adrianna Perez, 86th Comptroller Squadron deputy budget officer, has a duty that directly affects Airmen twice a month. I interviewed her to see what she does and how she does it.

Q: What does your job entail?
A: I maintain financial accountability of all our funds and give decision support to the commanders. I also ensure our budget analysts understand all of these restrictions, limitations, guidelines and policies we need to follow and then provide that to the resource advisers.

Q: Did you do anything before the Air Force related to your job now?
A: I went through ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Core) at Miami University in Ohio. I’ve always tried to put myself in leadership roles whenever I’m a part of something, whether it’s a small piece of the puzzle or solely leading something. I think I’ve postured myself throughout my entire life to be in these positions to provide decision support or make difficult decisions.

Q: What’s an average day like in your office?
A: Hectic. Honestly, the budget world is very interesting because you’ll have a lull, but then one day, things hit the fan. I’ll tell my buddies, “Yeah, I should be free for lunch tomorrow. No big deal,” and then it comes down to it and I’m like, “Actually, I have no time to go to lunch, because I really need to work with our budget analysts and our resource advisers to collect information and pass it up.” So, it’s really fun, it’s kind of unexpected and I learn something new every day.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face on a daily basis?
A: Making sure that people spend within the guidance of our AFIs (Air Force Instructions) and  ensuring they are making legal purchases.

Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: What truly makes me happy and excited to come to work every day are all of our Airmen. I love the people I work with. It’s always a blast working with these people, because everyone’s so smart and so driven to do their job, and that really helps us. If I didn’t have folks that take care of stuff, I’d be here day and night, and I would never leave the office. I truly value people I can depend on, and these are folks I know I can rely on.