Eastern Student Sara Claudio of Canterbury Completes Successful Internship at Aetna

2017 Oct 18

Sara Claudio '18 of Canterbury recently completed an internship at Aetna in Phoenix, AZ. Claudio's major is Business Administration.

During the internship she functioned as a general management summer associate in the Strategic Programs department of the Medicaid segment of Aetna. Much of her work focused on employee engagement, cultural competency, learning and performance. The position involved creating materials and communications for managers and other employees in order to implement new strategies for promoting cultural awareness and employee engagement initiatives. It also included work related to how Aetna trains its employees and continues their business excellence processes, called ABX initiatives.

"My favorite thing about the internship was being able to create and implement new strategies that make a difference in the Medicaid segment. I also enjoyed working at a company with such a great, inclusive culture," Claudio said.

During her sophomore year she discovered that Aetna offered student internships via Eastern's Center for Internships and Career Development website. This was her second consecutive summer internship with the company. She also worked at Aetna's Hartford location as a project management intern during the summer of 2016.

"I think my internship will help me in the future because it provided me with the corporate experience I need in order to continue to grow professionally and advance in my career." She is excited that she received a full-time job offer from Aetna that will initiate after she graduates.

"Internships are very important for students because they provide hands-on experience in corporate America and allow you to learn how to act in a corporate setting. They give you a better idea of what you may be interested in doing long-term and what you may or may not like about a certain career. They also provide resources and contacts that you can reach out to later," said Claudio.

"My hopes are that when I start my full-time position with Aetna starting next year, I can continue to develop in my career and figure out the specific area of business I would like to pursue in the long term," said Claudio. She plans to work for Aetna's General Management Leadership Development program, then pursue a graduate degree in a business-related field of study.