Meet our intern alumni

Allison

Allison

Associate software development engineer, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What's your Schwab Story? 
A: I chose Schwab because of the friendly and collaborative work environment I experienced as an intern. I knew Schwab was the place to start my career. 

After completing her degree in Computer Information Technology at Purdue, Allison returned to Schwab in Austin, Texas. She now spends her time working on applications for Retirement Plan Services. Allison sees a bright future with Schwab and plans to bolster her skill set and increase her impact at the firm by pursuing an MBA with the support of the company’s tuition assistance program.
 

Amy

Amy

Software applications engineer/product owner, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What's your Schwab story?

A: My story is unique. I started as an intern and transitioned into a part-time employee while simultaneously finishing my master’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Now I apply my expertise as a user experience designer on the intranet solutions team. I was first drawn to Schwab when I saw advertisements for Schwab Intelligent Portfolios^® and wanted to get involved with a company that was pioneering technology. After completing my internship, I was convinced this was the place to start my career. I chose Schwab because I knew the company's history. I knew they strived for excellence. And I knew they believed in women in leadership. Away from work, I enjoy rowing, biking, hiking, and reading.

Callum

Callum 

Associate software applications engineer, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What's your Schwab Story?
A: Just one year after working as a Schwab intern, Callum is now leading Schwab's intern class of 2017 in Austin, Texas. Callum says his internship experience was the reason he chose to become an employee after he graduated from the University of Alabama. "I chose Schwab because they challenged me the most. As an intern they gave me responsibility, a chance to solve a business problem, and an opportunity to figure it out." Now Callum works as a software engineer for global data and is creating a big data environment that will make doing business easier for the entirety of Schwab's workforce.

Christopher

Christopher 

Software Quality Assurance staff, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What impact did you have at Schwab during your summer internship?
A: My greatest impact was revamping the burn-down metric for the mobile scrum teams. The report we were using wasn't providing us with all the information we needed, so I was tasked with finding a new one. I researched, piloted, and implemented the new report for all the scrum teams. With this new report, my management was able to make more informed decisions regarding the progress of our sprints.

Q: What was the highlight of the Schwab Intern Academy for you?
A: The highlight of the Schwab Intern Academy was the town hall meeting with Walt Bettinger. It opened my eyes to what Schwab was really about. The idea that the CEO would take time out of his day to answer questions from interns really blew my mind. I walked away with a really great feeling about the company. Knowing that our CEO felt so strongly about certain core values really solidified my feelings that Schwab and the overall character of the employees was the right fit for me.

Q: When you return to Schwab for your full-time role after graduation, what are you most looking forward to?
A: When I return to Schwab, I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with the people I met during my internship. Not only are they great people with great character, but the knowledge they possess and are willing to share with me will allow me to grow in my professional career and in my personal life as well. They are the main reason I chose to come back to Schwab.

Garrett

Garrett 

Associate, Retirement Plan Services—Richfield, Ohio

Q: What impact did you have at Schwab during your summer internship? 
A: During my summer internship, I worked on several projects that impacted Schwab. I helped to make data more accurate and manageable. In the interns' mid-term summit, we studied Schwab's presence on social media and offered tips to improve engagement from followers, focusing mainly on young adults.

Q: What was the highlight of the Schwab Intern Academy for you? 
A: One of the highlights of the Schwab Intern Academy for me was participating in the Gallup strengths finder assessment. It was a great learning experience to see my strengths in writing, and not only were my strengths identified, but I got information on how to leverage those strengths in the workplace to be a more engaged employee and better communicator.

Q: When you return to Schwab for your full-time role after graduation, what are you most looking forward to? 
A: I am most looking forward to seeing and working with all the people I got to know and made a strong connection with during my internship. I am also excited to see all the great strides and improvements Schwab has made during my year at school.

Jason

Jason 

Associate software applications engineer, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What's your Schwab Story? 
A: I chose Schwab because I wanted to work in a place that allowed me to use my technical skills and help people focus on their finances at the same time. 

After a successful Schwab internship while attending the University of Texas at Austin, Jason joined the firm's research and development team as a software applications engineer. Jason studies upcoming trends in technology and how those advances can be transformative for both Schwab clients and employees.

Lexi

Lexi 

Client Relationship Specialist, Schwab Branch Network—Lone Tree, Colorado

Q: Why financial services? 
A: My dad and my brother both work in financial services. I majored in finance and international relations and found that helping people with their finances is my passion. I'm excited to work in the industry. My five-year goal is to become a Financial Consultant.

Q: Why Schwab? 
A: Culture is important to me. I'd heard a lot of stories about what the financial services industry could be like. For me, Schwab has been amazing. The culture is what people say it is. It's a happy, fun place. And that's what I'm looking for in terms of starting and growing my career.

Q: What was your favorite part of your Schwab internship? 
A: My experience has been really hands-on. I worked in the national branch supporting the Southeast Region of the country. I got to help develop a local marketing event for women in North Carolina. I enjoyed being able to feel like my work was having a direct impact on Schwab clients and prospective clients.

Matthew

Matthew 

Associate software applications engineer, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What impact did you have at Schwab during your summer internship? 
A: When I started my internship program, I was lucky enough to work on a huge project researching a Platform as a Service to see if it was a viable option for Schwab. I feel that upper-level management (all the way up to the SVP of technology) valued my opinion on the product. I was never treated as an "intern." In fact, quite the opposite happened: I was included in discussions with managers, tech directors, and staff, and it felt as though my opinion mattered.

Q: What was the highlight of the Schwab Intern Academy for you? 
A: There are three things that I will never forget: 

1. Once I finished my Platform as a Service project, I had to demo the product to upper-level management. Everything was a complete success and I feel I was able to make the right impression in front of the right people. 
2. I will never forget being on a conference call with the CEO, Walt Bettinger. You can tell that he truly cares about all of his employees and, more importantly, that he always wants to do the right thing for his clients.
3. The Gallup strength test. I have never believed in these kinds of studies before, but after taking the test I was able to learn a lot about myself and why I do things the way I do them. Not only has this helped me in a professional setting, but it also helped my relationships in my personal life.

Q: When you return to Schwab for your full-time role after graduation, what are you most looking forward to? 
A: I was offered a full-time job once I graduate school in May, but I was given the most amazing opportunity to work part-time as I finish my last year in school. What I am looking forward to most has already happened. I am loving the opportunity to learn so many new aspects of technology, and I enjoy working on a team that truly cares about my personal development.
 

Melissa

Melissa 

Associate, Project Management, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What impact did you have at Schwab during your summer internship? 
A: I had the opportunity to work on a real project, and I got to help my colleagues with their tasks to help lighten their workload. I also had the chance to help out some of my fellow interns who were taking on new projects and needed some help getting started. By mid-summer I was able to help direct my fellow interns in the right direction and get them in touch with people who could answer their questions.

Q: What was the highlight of the Schwab Intern Academy for you? 
A: Besides the real-world experience of working in the corporate world, my highlight was the amazing people I got to meet. There are so many talented individuals who were always ready and eager to speak with me about their careers. I never once felt like just an intern; I always felt welcomed and wanted every day I was there. I learned more in my summer interning at Schwab about how to plan my future career path than I have at any seminar, class, or other opportunity that I have had in my college career.

Q: When you return to Schwab for your full-time role after graduation, what are you most looking forward to? 
A: I am most looking forward to the personal growth that comes from getting the kind of life experience that is possible when working at a company like Schwab. I am so excited to work at a company that cares about me and will help me learn more about myself as I transition from college to the real world.

Nikolas

Nikolas

Research and Development engineer, Schwab Technology Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What's your Schwab story?
A: I accepted the challenge of being a Schwab intern in 2015 while an undergraduate student at Harding University in Arkansas. Six months later, I launched my career as an employee working as an engineer on the research and development team in Austin, Texas. I chose Schwab because I get to work on futuristic technologies. That's a rare opportunity for a software developer in Austin. In my spare time I enjoy writing music and online game development.

Reina

Reina

User Experience (UX) Architect - Junior, Schwab Digital Services—San Francisco, CA

Q: Thanks for taking time to meet with us, Reina! How’s your internship going?
A: Hi! Thanks, it’s been going really well. I’m an intern in the Digital Services enterprise. I’m very interested in the user-experience space, particularly research and design so this has been a good fit for what I’m studying. I’ve enjoyed seeing what the group here is working on and how they do it. Had we been able to work in the offices, I would have been at Schwab’s 211 Main location in San Francisco. The city is home to me so I’m here and really glad to be back.

Q: How did you learn about the Schwab Internship Academy?
A: I came to Schwab through the Intern Pro Program, which is an eight-week experience that partners with Charles Schwab Bank and prepares students for an increasingly competitive, globalized job marketplace. As a Pilot Fellow, I strengthened my networking and leadership skills and further developed critical skills like effective communication and time management.

From that experience I learned a lot about Schwab and how the focus is on putting the client first. In my view, that’s the same goal as what we do in user experience -- put the needs of the end user first. Coming to Schwab felt like a chance to learn different approaches to that same goal.

Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’m hoping to graduate next spring. After that I’m hoping to join a company that I get to do what I love. I really hope to continue my UX journey here at Schwab. My time at the firm has supported me by helping grow both hard and soft skills that I think will serve me well as I launch my career. The Intern Academy has been the backbone of my first professional support system and has made me feel truly at home. I’d love to consider returning to work for Charles Schwab.

Taji

Taji 

Project manager, Project Services—Austin, Texas

Q: What's your Schwab Story? 
A: As a Texas native, I knew I wanted to work at a company like Schwab and landed an internship in 2014 while studying at Texas State University. One short year later, I was an employee. I chose Schwab because the company's morals and values resonated with who I am as a person. I knew Schwab was where I wanted to start my career. In my role as a project manager, I work on application modernization and focus on moving applications to the cloud. I'm also involved in the planning of Schwab's new data center. For fun, I love to bake and spend time with my husband and our two dogs.