Journey from Guam to ExxonMobil

Janna Fernandez’s journey to the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business began roughly 8,000 miles away in Guam, but her experiences are taking her even further. 

Fernandez’s passion for public service and helping others pushed her to pursue a career that enables her to do just that. This is evidenced by her tenure as the deputy press secretary for the Office of the Governor of Guam, as well as her involvement in education and workforce development program management for the U.S. territory. 

Displaying a desire to broaden her skillset and complement her public policy background, Fernandez enrolled at Maryland Smith in 2016 as a full-time MBA student. Her latest endeavor led her to Houston, Texas, serving as a 2018 human capital summer intern at ExxonMobil.

Fernandez says the company shattered her perception of the oil and gas industry, specifically with regards to the workplace environment and the company’s approach to helping its employees achieve both their personal and career aspirations.

“I am particularly interested in being in a space where collaboration and teamwork is the way they solve problems,” Fernandez says. “ExxonMobil invests in its employees, especially in personal development, and in my ability to direct my growth and career choices.”

At ExxonMobil, Fernandez primarily focuses on establishing a new company culture, human capital strategy and refining organizational strategy and behavior. Fernandez says these projects will continue even after the duration of her internship, conveying the company’s expectation of receiving valuable contributions from all of its employees. To Fernandez, this signifies the importance of collaboration, a trait that factored into her decision to attend Maryland Smith.

“I had an opportunity at the Smith School to keep fostering that collaboration that I desperately liked and needed,” Fernandez says. “I definitely think that there are a lot of people who are willing to share their ideas, share their past experiences, share learning, and really help you become a better businessperson and employee for your future career.”

In addition to the school’s collaborative nature, Fernandez believes it is important to apply the concepts she learns in the classroom to her work. She encourages other Smith MBA students to learn as much as they can during their time at Smith.

“Absorb the information in these classes,” she says. “It is going to be really challenging, but they’re all going to really play into how you’re going to show up in your internships. It might not make sense during the year, but once you’re in meetings with executives and other experts, all of the stuff you learn is going to come together.”

IN HER WORDS
Audio: Janna Fernandez talks about her ExxonMobil internship (8:25)

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