When Cynthia was still in school, she was accepted into Freddie Mac’s Technology Analyst Program, which gave her the chance to take on challenging work and jump-start her career at an early age. While her career trajectory took her away from Freddie Mac for a few years, she ended up returning to take a position as an information systems senior for Freddie Mac’s HR department.

While her previous position afforded her the opportunity to travel internationally to places like Japan and the UK, she’s happy to be taking a break from traveling to experience homeownership for herself, having just moved into a new condo.

“It’s great not living out of a suitcase. And because of our flexible working arrangements, I’m able to work from home part of my week to enjoy my home even more,” said Cynthia, who earned a degree from James Madison University, double majoring in economics and public administration.

In addition to her role at Freddie Mac, Cynthia has also taken the opportunity to give back to her community. For several years, Cynthia, a first generation American, has been participating in an after-school mentoring program for middle school students. “As a Latina, I feel that it’s important to be a role model for Latino youth to hopefully bring up our numbers in universities and in the workplace,” said Cynthia, whose parents are from El Salvador. “I tell them they will be successful if they put in the effort and work hard.”

“I always say that a lot of my success has been because of the mentors and teachers who helped me realize that my future is determined by the choices I make,” says Cynthia, now researching programs to get her master’s in technology management. “I feel that I have the support of my leadership at Freddie Mac to accomplish so much.”