The immeasurable impact of community

There tends to be a lot of pressure to land your dream job as soon as you graduate. You are encouraged to know what you want to do, who you want to be, and what you want to accomplish. But not knowing the answers to these questions is okay. As you begin to explore opportunities, my advice is to think about things that may be important to you like company culture, professional development, or work/life balance. For me, I was determined to land somewhere where work not only included getting tasks done, but where work meant being a part of a community. I wanted to work at a place where I could connect, grow, and learn with the people around me. I knew what was important to me; I just needed to find it.

I got a glimpse of what a career at Vanguard could look like through my father, Anthony, who worked at Vanguard for 26 years. One of the biggest things I noticed, was that he worked for a company that allowed him to support our family, coach sports teams, join family dinners, and be there for all the important moments outside of work. In addition to being a part of a community, I knew I wanted to work for a company where I could be successful in my career and still have the flexibility to be present for the things that mattered, just like my dad. When the time came to apply for internships, my father’s experience at Vanguard helped push the company to the top of my list.

Finding my community

After landing an internship at Vanguard, I paid close attention to the people around me. I wanted to learn more about what drove them to come to work every day and how they were impacted by the company’s culture. I was excited to see that everyone was encouraged to have a people-first attitude. They focused on developing interpersonal relationships, and professional development, which were some of the things I was also looking for in a company. Once I completed my internship, I was excited to take the next step and ultimately accepted an offer to join the Emerging Leadership Development Program (ELDP) the following year.

As an ELDP participant, I discovered the importance of having a support system at work. During the program, you rotate through different roles, and gain experience working on different teams and meeting people across the enterprise. During my rotations, I learned very quickly where my strengths were and opportunities for development. This felt a little discouraging at times, and I even experienced imposter syndrome. Luckily, I was fortunate to have a core group of colleagues who were very supportive and reminded me of the value I could bring to the company. I had many conversations with my program manager, where it seemed like she knew me better than I knew myself. If there was ever a time when a project or task became overwhelming, I could lean on leaders and others in my cohort who understood what I was going through and encouraged me to keep going and give myself the grace I deserved.

I am happy to work for a company where community matters. Where people are ignited by the thought of helping each other, and where professional development is a real priority. As you continue to grow throughout your life you may find that having a community around you to support you can have an immeasurable impact on your well-being and success. I look forward to continuing my career journey knowing I have an incredible community to support me along the way.

-Gianna D.

Learn more about our Emerging Leader Development Program.