USAA Makes Sure Intern Could Fulfill His Reservist Duties

September 2, 2022 - I have been in the National Guard for a little under two years now, and in my short time serving this country, I know how important the work is that we do at USAA. During my internship, I have seen that USAA truly does know what it means to serve.

Both of my parents are immigrants from China. They came to America for a better life and my parents got their American Dream—they got jobs and were able to raise a wonderful family. Because of the opportunities they had by immigrating here, I had a great life. That is one of the biggest reasons I decided to join the Army. I want to give back to this country and serve however I can.

Less than two years ago, I joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist—that means I train other soldiers how to defend themselves against chemical and nuclear hazards.

Even though my time in the Army has been short, I have gotten a glimpse into how hard life can be for military members. During my time in training alone, people were going through hardships with their families and significant others, and some even missed the births of their children. The stress military members go through is tough, and I wanted to intern at USAA to help make their lives a little bit easier.

I'm also a full-time student at the University of Wisconsin, triple majoring in economics, data science and environmental studies. To say I have a lot going on in life is an understatement.

Because of my military commitments, I was worried at first that I couldn't be a successful intern at USAA. During the second week of my internship, I had to take off a week to go to Round Rock for annual training. That meant I would miss crucial training and information that I needed to be an intern.

USAA’s state management team made sure I could fulfill my military obligations without it impacting my internship—USAA took care of me. Everyone on my team was so accommodating. They recorded trainings for me and developed a plan to help me catch up when I returned. That commitment to working around my schedule really drove home the USAA mission, and that is something I will always be grateful for.  

Interning in P&C state management as a product management analyst has been amazing. I have met so many incredible people, both employees and fellow interns. I have worked with and met people from across the enterprise and made so many friends and built some great relationships.

After my internship, I am going to finish school,​ and I plan to graduate in spring 2023. I would love to be fortunate enough to find myself back at USAA, but no matter where my future takes me, I will always remember my time at USAA.