How to Enhance Your Career and Reach For Your Dreams

What if you had a career that leveraged your experience to help others achieve the joy of homeownership? Fannie Mae’s mission is to expand access to affordable homeownership to everyone across the country. For Stephania and Alejandra, who are both originally from Colombia, that means using their native Spanish fluency to help translate homebuyer information and education, especially for people who speak Spanish at home. Their work has helped bring the American dream to life for others. Both women have since bought their own homes, so they know how gratifying that accomplishment is.  

Here, they share a bit about their career journeys and top tips on how to succeed at work and help make your dreams come true — whatever they may be. 

Tip 1: Support a mission you believe in through meaningful projects

Finding a company with a supportive culture and vision you can believe in is just the start. Stephania is an Associate on the Affordable Lending Team, and Alejandra is a Lead Associate on the Customer Experience Design Team. A few years ago, both women were invited to participate on a top-priority committee to help translate Fannie Mae’s homeownership education course into Spanish in a way that would resonate with people’s emotional perceptions of home and their life experiences. 

Stephania remembers, “I was just a teen when we moved to the U.S. Unfortunately, this was during the recession of 2008, and like many other families, my family lost their home to foreclosure.” 

She was grateful to be able to bring that kind of empathy to her work to help Spanish-speaking consumers learn about successful homeownership.

 “This really opened my mind about the impact that we can have as individuals. I started getting more involved in all sorts of engagement opportunities where I can be a voice.” Stephania says her manager and colleagues are incredibly helpful and encouraging when those opportunities arise. 

Tip 2: Network, volunteer, and speak up — champion your career growth

These two upbeat women say that it’s up to you to seek out ways to connect with other employees from different backgrounds who are also contributing to the company’s success. 

Drawing from her own positive experience, Alejandra advises, “Don't be afraid to ask for opportunities. And have your leadership, your manager, and your team members help you look for those opportunities and make those connections.” That’s how it’s worked for her at Fannie Mae. “I think there’s always something going on that you may not be aware of. But it’s out there. And if you leverage your connections and have others help you, they really are available.”

Tip 3: Your personal perspective and background are a valuable resource — use them

Stephania summarizes this tip in a nutshell: “Always embrace your unique perspectives and cultural background. That’s what sets you apart, and it’s a very powerful asset that sometimes we don’t even believe we have as individuals.” 

At Fannie Mae, it’s been proven repeatedly that “our backgrounds and our insights can bring fresh ideas and solutions to others that might not have yet been considered because they have not lived those experiences,” she says. Whatever your dreams and goals, bringing your unique skills to your work can go far in helping you achieve them. 

Looking for a company where you can make a unique contribution and grow your career? Check out Fannie Mae.