A True Story of Dead Reckoning: Sunny Lam’s Journey to CBP via the DoD SkillBridge Internship Program

Growing up in South Philadelphia, Sunny Lam’s journey to success at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was anything but guaranteed. Lam’s early life was a difficult one; his mother had a gambling issue, and his father was a post-Vietnam veteran with PTSD. His family was poor and moved constantly. Then, when Lam was five years old, his father murdered his mother, forcing him to live with an aunt and uncle for a few years, until they decided they did not want him and his siblings living in South Philadelphia any longer. At the age of eight, he was placed with a foster family in Bensalem, PA, on the outskirts of Philadelphia.

His foster parents provided a loving and supportive environment—Lam still calls their house in Bensalem “home” and visits frequently—but they had not attended college themselves and did not know how to help him apply. Lam struggled to find a path after high school. “I didn’t have a mentor growing up and I wasn’t necessarily good at school,” Lam said, “so I needed to find a different route.”

He ultimately chose the Navy, enlisting at the age of 23, and was assigned to the destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) as an Operations Specialist. In that role, Lam served as a “jack of all trades” on board the ship, operating a variety of tools ranging from communications equipment to navigation and radar systems. Lacking prior experience on the water, he did not realize he suffered from seasickness until his first day on board. “Every time we would come into port for a couple days, we’d go back out and then I’d get sick all over again,” Lam said. “I got seasick all the time.”

After five years on board the USS Jason Dunham, he transferred to “shore-duty” in a position within the Navy at the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS), a counter-narcotics command in Key West, FL. At JIATFS, he worked with personnel from “23 different 3-letter agencies”—including CBP—as well as partner nations, to target, detect, and monitor illicit drug trafficking in the air and maritime domains in the joint operating area. “A lot of illicit drugs would come up and we would send Coast Guard assets out,” Lam said. “We would send aircraft, partner nation aircraft, and we would task our units to [interdict drug smugglers].”

It was working alongside CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) personnel at JIATFS that Lam first developed an interest in CBP. “I saw their mission, I talked to some of the guys at AMO when we were down there; they said they loved what they were doing,” Lam said. As he learned more about the agency, he was drawn to the breadth of the CBP mission. “The mission space is very versatile. You’ve got counter-narcotics, border protection, trade—CBP is literally everywhere.”

When the time came to prepare for life after the military, Lam researched the Department of Defense SkillBridge Program and contacted Jeff Jack, CBP’s national Veterans Employment Program Manager (VEPM). “[Jack] was my first and really only contact,” Lam said. “I really wanted to get into CBP.”

Based on Lam’s military experience, Jack connected him with Kevin Cinco, a supervisor within what is now the Integrated Planning and Requirements Division (IPRD), under CBP Operations Support, Planning, Analysis, & Requirements Evaluation Directorate (PARE). IPRD requirements specialists identify needed capabilities through operational-level mission analysis. Alongside his teammates, Lam verifies CBP capabilities are directly tied to strategic outcomes—safety, security, and prosperity—linking 'what we need' to 'why we need it.' This deliberate internal control process helps ensure that more than 66,000 CBP employees have the resources necessary for mission success.

Lam began his six-month SkillBridge internship in January 2023 under a predecessor of IPRD, with Cinco as his supervisor. Lam saw a direct connection between his military service and his time in the SkillBridge program learning the role of a requirements specialist. “As an Operations Specialist in the Navy, I was the end-user for all the programs that we used, using all of our capabilities.” This unique insight informed his efforts under SkillBridge. “If Border Patrol needed something, I would try to think from a user perspective,” he said. “How would the user capitalize on this equipment? Is it safe to use?”

Following completion of his SkillBridge internship in July 2023, Lam was offered a permanent position with CBP and entered on duty in October 2023 as a requirements specialist with IPRD. Matt Andrews, Lam’s supervisor and a Navy veteran himself, believes that Lam dove right into his role in part because of the abilities he developed as an Operations Specialist in the Navy. “The critical thinking, the ability to interpret evidence or data independently and then exercise judgment to make a good recommendation,” Andrews said, “those are really the foundational skills that [Lam] had that are extremely relevant to what he’s doing now.”

Looking back, Lam credits his SkillBridge internship with giving him the tools to succeed in the role. As he shadowed Cinco, he gained a wider view of the agency’s work while attending senior leadership meetings. “There were questions that were asked where now that I’m working on these requirements, I know what will be asked before it even gets there.” Describing Cinco’s impact, Lam said: “I call him ‘Yoda,’ because he just knew everything, and anything that didn’t seem or sound right, he would always question it. I really learned a lot from him.”

Knowing what it was like to be without a mentor earlier in his life, Lam has found a calling in being a resource for others. He is part of a SkillBridge group on Facebook where he shares his experience and encourages others to seek opportunities with CBP. So far, he has connected three contacts with Jack, and they each found SkillBridge opportunities themselves at CBP thanks to Jack’s tireless advocacy as a Navy veteran himself. Two are now permanent employees with CBP and the third is a current SkillBridge intern at the agency.

Lam’s advice to other transitioning service members: start early, have a plan, find a mentor, follow through. “If you’re looking to do something, whatever it is, find a mentor so you can ask questions—someone you can always go to,” Lam said. “Start early and follow through.”

Lam’s background continues to propel him toward a bright future. “Dead reckoning”—a traditional maritime method of estimating position and projecting forward—mirrors his own journey. From a young age, he was forced to reckon with the realities of his circumstances, yet always believed he was meant for more. His Navy service honed the foundational skills that now serve him at CBP. Though he couldn’t have predicted every step, he moved forward with purpose and recently earned a promotion to a role that links task with purpose across CBP. His personal “will to win” fuels his success and inspires those around him.

Lam invites transitioning service members to contact him with questions about his journey, the SkillBridge program, or how to navigate the transition process. Transitioning service members can also contact Jeffrey Jack, CBP’s VEPM, at Jeffrey.R.Jack@cbp.dhs.gov to discuss how to participate in the DoD SkillBridge internship program within CBP and also learn more about CBP’s other veterans recruitment programs by joining the CBP Talent Network.