Pamplin students reflect on their internship at NewDay USA

Two Virginia Tech students were recently selected to intern for NewDay USA’s award-winning paid-internship program. Daniel McHale, majoring in finance, and Thomas Arthur, majoring in business information technology, spent a week in January interning in Fulton, Maryland, at the financial technology company. They received mortgage training and were taught how to manage personal finances.

NewDay is a company that utilizes technology to enable a wider share of veteran and military families to be approved for home loans. McHale described feeling like he had truly gained an inside perspective on bettering the lives of military families. He remembered his job-shadowing fondly, saying that he “saw how much money NewDay is able to save veterans each month on their mortgages.” He knew that, whether it be small amounts to buy school supplies for the veterans’ grandchildren, or large amounts, that could be used to pay off debt, NewDay was helping people make huge improvements in their lives.

“They are committed to serving veterans,” he said. “It is absolutely admirable.”

Arthur also got a deep sense of what that type of service meant—especially as someone coming from a family of veterans. “It’s really important to me. We all have a part to play and this is a great way that I can serve.”

The company has provided more than half its interns with a job opportunity immediately after graduating. According to the NewDay USA press release, over 300 college seniors have been involved in the program since its initial launch in 2017. The program is “designed for college seniors looking to gain experience in the workplace.” Arthur is excited about this aspect. In the future he hopes to become an account executive and promote growth from within very quickly. He felt that one of the best things about his experience was the way “a lot of people talked about leadership, commitment, and teamwork.” He also admitted that he would be open to becoming a mentor in the NewDay USA program for another college senior one day. “We all buy or rent a house one day,” Arthur explained. “Being informed is important.”

Both McHale and Arthur recognized that it would be a great opportunity to get involved in. McHale’s favorite thing about interning was “the culture and atmosphere.” He felt connected to the people he was learning from because they were close to him in age—something he feels is hard to come by when interning. “Employees were joking around and making plans to hang out together outside of work which I thought was very cool. The building did not maintain a sort of ‘corporate powerhouse’ vibe, but instead a workplace that had an excellent balance of professionalism and fun.” The training offered also left an impact on McHale. “The internship did an absolutely fantastic job explaining mortgages and personal finance to other business majors such as marketing or management. Almost every day we went over either how mortgages work, how other types of loans work, what a credit score is, and other types of financial concepts that non-finance majors might not discuss.”

McHale and Arthur were quick to recommend the program to future seniors. McHale added, “The internship was a wonderful opportunity that I encourage everyone to look into. Sure, mortgages don't sound like the most exciting career path to get involved in, but NewDay USA showcased their amazing training program, growth, workplace culture, and employee benefits.” 

— Written by Rachel Breeden