Skip to main content

Relationship building and teamwork help turn interns into full-time employees

May 24, 2023
Christian S.
Fannie Mae

Christian S.

In an internship, you want an opportunity that leads to meaningful relationships and interesting projects that help you kickstart your career. Learn from Christian as he describes his time at Fannie Mae, progressing from an intern to a full-time Business Architect, and the aspects of his work he’s valued most. Plus, get his advice to soon-to-be college graduates searching for the right place to start their career.

Growing from an intern to a full-time associate

It was June 2020 when Christian, a rising senior majoring in business information technology at Virginia Tech, started as a Change Management Intern with Fannie Mae’s Enterprise Technology Operations team. He describes what it was like to work as a part of his new team saying, “I was constantly challenged, given opportunities outside of my expertise or comfort zone, and received very thoughtful feedback to ensure I developed my skills."

With technology constantly evolving, Fannie Mae must continuously innovate to help homeowners and renters, and interns and campus recruits help make that happen. Christian details how his contributions created impact sharing, “I was responsible for reporting technical changes of our applications and their impacts to senior leadership. To manage software changes, I created an automated excel VBA macro to compare that saved our team five hours a week.”

“With this new experience, I uncovered a desire to do something at the intersection of business and technology. My manager gave me the courage to pursue my interests and helped me network with relevant teams across the business to learn more about career options. Following an incredible internship, my hard work led to me receiving a full-time job offer as a Business Architect Associate in Fannie Mae’s Multifamily business.”

Christian Business Architect 1

Finding the gold standard of teamwork and leadership

Now as a Business Architect, Christian has a strategist role impacting the Multifamily business’ digital transformation. He and his team map out new technical solutions and strategic plans that make business processes more streamlined and efficient. By working with his colleagues and leaders across multiple teams, Christian and his team are constantly engaged in career development opportunities. Christian reflects, “I have been presented with vast opportunities to grow my career, develop my skillset, network, and even act as a mentor to incoming college hires and interns.”

“All my development and fulfillment here at Fannie Mae would not have occurred if I did not have intelligent and thoughtful leaders who provide feedback and a great sense of direction every step of the way. Whether it was during my internship, the First Year Forward development program, or as member of the Multifamily Business Architecture team, my leaders’ actions have consistently reinforced that I made the right decision to work for Fannie Mae.”

Christian Business Architect 2

Advice to interns and graduating students starting their career at Fannie Mae

Christian advises, “Ask questions, be curious, always learn, and continue to explore how to make an impact while growing in your career. Get to know and connect with your coworkers. Forming connections and getting to know your colleagues can provide new ways to think, introduce you to new opportunities, and give you general advice for your wellbeing and career that you would not have known if you did not ask. By staying curious and always seeking new opportunities to learn, you quickly realize how valuable your voice is and the difference you make to your team and the organization.”

Want to make an impact at Fannie Mae during or after your college experience?

Learn more about early career opportunities and life at Fannie Mae.

Learn more about working with us.

Employee Stories  Life at Fannie Mae  View Open Positions 

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Fannie Mae is an equal employment opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/gender expression, marital or parental status, or any other protected factor. Fannie Mae is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment, unless to do so would cause undue hardship to the company. If you need assistance using our online system and/or you need a reasonable accommodation related to the hiring/application process, please complete this form.

RECRUITMENT FRAUD ALERT: Please be aware of recruitment scams that may involve offering fictious job opportunities, requesting personal information, or demanding payments during the recruitment process. All open positions are located on Fannie Mae’s careers site and are based in the United States. Official Fannie Mae email addresses end with @fanniemae.com and Fannie Mae will not use online chats or instant messaging to conduct interviews. Fannie Mae will not ask for a financial commitment from candidates during the recruiting process. Please contact us via e-mail if you are concerned you have been offered employment with Fannie Mae that might be a scam or contacted for a job by an individual who does not represent or work at Fannie Mae.

California residents, under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), Fannie Mae is required to inform any California resident who is our job applicant about the categories of “personal information” we collect about you and the purposes for which we will use this information. To read the full notice, please click here.