John Stahno

During the fall of 2013, I worked in London as a Global Benefits intern for American Express. I chose to participate in the credit internship program because it offered me the benefit of gaining meaningful work experience and college credit. When I was first applying for a credit internship during the spring 2013 semester, it never crossed my mind that I could possibly be working in another country. To be honest, I was uneasy at the idea of living in another country for three months. Now that I have gained international work experience, my outlook on the world has changed immensely. I have since come to the realization that gaining a global perspective is important business acumen for my future, especially with the goal of obtaining a full-time position after graduating from ILR.

At American Express, I was a member of the Strategic Healthcare & Wellbeing team, part of the Global Compensation and Benefits function in HR. My work revolved around American Express’ Healthy Living program, which offers health and wellbeing services to more than 93% of 69,000 employees worldwide. I participated in conference calls with global team members to capture and analyze data, organized a Workplace Stress Solutions videoconference, participated in external benchmarking calls, met with senior executives and business partners, and collaborated day-to-day with my leader in London to prepare for presentations to the Head of Rewards and Head of HR on Healthy Living. 

Outside of the office, a rewarding and memorable aspect of my internship was representing American Express at industry forums and conferences. I enjoyed networking with professionals from around the globe who came together to collaborate toward building a healthier and happier workforce. In turn, I became more knowledgeable about health and wellbeing, allowing me to be more effective at American Express.

Looking back, American Express was definitely the right fit for me. My time in London has complimented my education at ILR with some of the most enriching learning experiences. Multiple projects in a fast-pace corporate environment allowed me to develop as a professional and find areas for future improvement. For any students who wish to participate in a human resources credit internship, I strongly recommend applying to American Express.

- John Stahno