December 10, 2025
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Linda Torres. I grew up in the Annex and currently reside in Westville. I am a New Haven Promise Scholar. I went to UCONN and graduated in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in communications.
Tell us about your job search experience.
The summer after I graduated, I landed a New Haven Promise finance internship at the Yale School of Medicine. At the wrap-up event for New Haven Promise internships at the end of summer 2023, I met the New Haven Hiring Initiative (NHHI). As a recent graduate, I expressed my interest in full-time opportunities at Yale, and they told me about an open position on their team as a Temporary Administrative Assistant. They encouraged me to contact New Haven Works (NHW) so I could collaborate one-on-one with a coach to strengthen my resume and interview skills.
After receiving support from both the NHHI and NHW, I was hired for the role. I learned useful administrative skills such as preparing agendas, taking meeting minutes, marketing, inventory tracking and purchasing, creating newsletters, social media management, and running career fair tables. After this temporary position and with further support from my NHW coach, I was hired as a Financial Assistant for Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) department, where I am now.
Tell us about your current roles at Yale.
I have been with the FP&A department for two years. I was recently promoted to a Financial Analyst from a Financial Assistant. Now, I am transitioning to support Administrative Operations. Administrative Operations consist of Yale Conferences and Events, Yale Housing, Yale Printing and Publishing, Transport, Receiving and Storage (TR&S), Relocation, Marketing and Trademark Licensing, and Yale Parking. When I was a Financial Assistant, I primarily supported Yale Conferences and Events, Yale Housing, and all their daily financial activity.
You participated in internships and a temporary assignment before accepting your staff position. What were those experiences like? How does the culture of learning and development at Yale impact you?
My first experience at Yale was as a New Haven Promise finance intern, where I learned the basis of Yale finance skills that I use to this day. I interned at Yale School of Medicine within a small team of six financial assistants in the Central Administrative Units Shared Services department, which provided centralized financial assistance for a large part of the medical school. During my time as an intern, I learned how to process expense reports, use Salesforce and Workday, and was given an analytical project in Excel. The project was shared with department heads for actionable insight. This experience impacted my learning and development at Yale because I was able to learn and connect with a team of financial assistants during my internship, which encouraged me to seek a financial role at Yale.
What advice do you have for other job seekers?
My advice for other job seekers would be to always find ways to network and step outside of your comfort zone! I graduated as a communications major, but being open to new experiences led me to being a finance intern and finding out that finance was something I enjoyed. I took every position as an opportunity to develop my skills and meet new people. They helped shape me into who I am today.
What is next for you?
What is next for me is training the new Financial Assistant who will be taking my place in FP&A, while working towards taking on my new responsibilities supporting Administrative Operations. I am excited and thankful to be provided with this opportunity to develop my financial skills and experience within the same department. I look forward to the challenges and learning opportunities that lie ahead, and I am confident that this role will further enhance my professional development.