Who we are: Alan Hernandez has been saved
Life at Deloitte
Who we are: Alan Hernandez
A first-generation soon-to-be graduate shares his experience
December 6, 2018
Alan Hernandez is many things: a first-generation American and the first in his family to attend college. He’s also the first in his family to embark on a career in the corporate world. And he hasn’t even graduated from college yet.
Alan focused on his future from the moment he set foot on campus at Texas A&M: “I was overwhelmed by all the opportunities in the corporate world. My parents are lifelong entrepreneurs. They taught me how to work hard and of course helped me shape my own vision and values.”
He wasn’t sure what industry he wanted to work in, so he looked for organizations aligned with his values. He found Deloitte through the campus chapter of ALPFA, the Association of Latino Professionals for America.
Deloitte had another thing going for it: the Pioneer internship program, one of few internships created specifically for students finishing their first year of college.
“I was stressed trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” Alan said. “But during the summer of my Pioneer internship, so many people at Deloitte took the time to get to know me and give me advice—managers, senior managers, even partners. All of them confirmed for me that Deloitte was a place I could see myself working, and see myself growing.”
One of the biggest pieces of advice he received: “Be willing to say yes. Let your natural curiosity run free and learn as much as you can. That’s when I realized that my career journey is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not just about a two-month internship; it’s about what I can do now and who I can become and how I can help serve my clients, my colleagues, and our community.”
His Pioneer internship allowed him to see two different sides of Deloitte—the internal work (he interned in Deloitte Services LP’s Talent organization) and the client-facing work, in Deloitte Tax LLP’s Business Tax Services. The next summer, Alan returned as a Discovery intern.
Working on two major client engagements showed him that “Deloitte entrusted me to work on things that mattered. I was doing the same kind of work that first-years do. It was an in-depth, thorough, hands-on experience.” And he loved it.
He returned for a third internship after his junior year. “They asked me whether I’d rather work in Tax or Risk and Financial Advisory for the summer—and then they listened and gave me work that was relevant to my interests. I spent the past summer in the Risk and Financial Advisory practice as a technology risk intern, doing client-facing work in two different industries. I got to conduct system design and operational testing—I wasn’t even out of college yet and I was already working like anyone else at Deloitte.
“It gave me a solid idea of what I’d be doing after I graduated—if Deloitte offered me a job. And then, on the very last day of my internship, they did!” He adds, “That was a pretty great feeling.”
After three summers at Deloitte, Alan was clear that he wanted to work in our “relationship-driven culture. And I recognized the investment that Deloitte had made in me over the past three summers. They really believed in me and I can see how much I’ve grown already. I realized I made the best decision of my college years during that first year, when I said yes to the Pioneer program. I think I made another ‘best’ decision this summer when I said yes to Deloitte.”
We do too, Alan. We look forward to welcoming you in summer 2019—this time for good.
Learn more about our opportunities for undergraduates.
Tags
