2010 Diversity Annual Report
Empowered: Aetna opens doors to shape futures of young women
A person’s personal and professional development is shaped by experiences from youth, whether they are reaffirming and positive, or sometimes difficult to bear. During 2010, Aetna ERGs in two offices welcomed young African American and Latino women into the company to open their eyes to life’s many opportunities and to give them a glimpse into the world of business.
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DreamGRLZ participants at Aetna
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“Thank you for taking your
time and allowing me to experience the health insurance world. I loved working with everyone at Aetna and learned so much... My schoolwork is rigorous – five AP classes and two Honors classes – but I am happy because I know it will prepare me for college.” Dayanna De La Rosa, 2010 Summer Intern, Aetna Allentown |
During the month of July, members of the Hispanic Employee Resource Group (AHERG) in Allentown, PA., hosted two teenage girls as interns through its sponsorship of the “Futuros Empresarios” (Fé) Program of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Lehigh Valley. Through this program, Hispanic high school students complete sessions at nearby DeSales University before joining local businesses for immersion in the “real world” of working. At Aetna, members of the AHERG acted as hosts for the two interns, both of whom rotated through various areas to experience the breadth of Aetna’s business operations and the expectations of various jobs. In doing so, these young ladies also were “ambassadors” of their high school, demonstrating the outstanding potential of students when given the for success.
In October, the African-American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) hosted 15 teenage girls for one day in Hartford, through a relationship with DreamGRLZ, a New Britain-based nonprofit youth organization. The young ladies learned about Aetna’s history and its customers, and sampled healthy foods as part of a tour of the company’s wellness center. The day included a dynamic panel discussion in which three women Aetna employees shared personal stories about how they overcame adversity to emerge as successful professionals. For their part, the girls shared their own stories, some difficult to tell, which both enriched the discussion and underlined the core message: that with hard work and focus, it’s possible to achieve an exciting career – no matter how unlikely it might sometimes seem.
