Base Administration’s S1 Passy – Human Resource Administrator

Sailor First Class (S1) Andrea Passy

2Lt Jamie Boparai
Base Administration
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Not many people know at age sixteen which career they want.

For Sailor First Class (S1) Andrea Passy, she was attracted to the profession at arms well before then.

Her family baby-sat for a military member, and that person had a big influence in her life, she says.

“He spoke fondly about his trade as a naval communicator which influenced me, not only to join but to follow in his footsteps.”

She joined the Primary Reserves with HMCS Unicorn in Saskatoon, SK, at 16. She needed parental consent as one must be at least 18 years old to join the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserves. But there are exceptions. To join so young, one must be enrolled as a full-time student and have parental permission.

“I think my parents were a little surprised at the time with me going in this direction, but they have always supported me. They were the ones that had to sign on the dotted line for my enrollment after all.”

She trained to become a Naval Communicator, a trade that establishes and maintains communication over Canadian and allied networks using various frequencies, lines of sight, and long-range satellite communications.

“I saw a lot of things at a young age that I might not have seen in the civilian world. Once a week we would come in for lectures and specialized training, such as seamanship and knot tying. On special occasions, we would even take a small RHIB out on the river for live training exercises. It was a lot of fun.”

She got real sea time in HMCS Toronto during Operation Reassurance in 2014. That cemented her direction to go regular force, which she did a year later. However, because she joined at such a young age, her interests began to shift along with her personal competencies, traits, and attributes.

She applied for a Voluntary Occupational Transfer to the trade of Human Resource Administrator (HRA) and was accepted into her new trade in July 2020.

“I was looking for a change and HRA had a lot of qualities I feel like I possess. I really enjoy the administrative side of things, as well as customer service. I am very enthusiastic and personable, which makes HRA a great fit for me.”

The drastic change in employment was a bit nerve-wracking, she says. However, just as she did at the age of 16, she went for it.

“I am glad I followed through. Working in my new environment has been really fulfilling.”

Currently, she is employed at the Base Orderly Room (BOR) as an HRA in-training. She will complete her initial trades training in Borden, ON. While many courses have been paused due to COVID-19, the CAF has been swift in adapting to the situation, quickly making the necessary adjustments required by Provincial Health Authorities to resume the Force Generation of it’s members. 

“At the BOR, they are training me as if I have already completed my initial courses, and this is helping me learn the skills needed for the job. I am becoming more confident with each passing day.”

When pressed on what she’s looking forward to the most in the future, S1 Passy reflects on her experiences with two former supervisors.

“They both taught me how to be myself and enjoy all that life has to offer, both personally and professionally. They led me down the path I am on today, and I look up to them and I aspire to one day display the leadership skills that they have.”

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