Internship Spotlight: Shizhou Chen ’27, Cigna

Internship company name and location: The Cigna Group, Bloomfield, Connecticut
Hometown: Oakland, CA
Pronouns: she/her/hers
The SOM classes you’re using on the job: Executive, State & Society, Healthcare Innovation
Go-to work lunch: Anything from the amazing cafeteria at the office!
After-work routine: Drive home and make a berry mocktail!
Favorite thing about internship city: It’s affordable, with a train station and international airport

This summer, I interned with Cigna’s Finance Leadership Development Program (FLDP). Leadership development programs seek to develop future leaders by rotating them across different functions and areas of the company to build skills over time. As an intern, I stayed in one part of the business: pharmaceutical distribution. For my project, I analyzed cash flows in the purchase-and-sale process and identified key drivers. Then, I created a strategy for the business to improve cash efficiency.

The many presentations and projects I completed in my first year at SOM helped me become more concise and results-oriented in my work. Coming from an actuarial background, I had confidence in quantitative work. However, business decisions are not driven by numbers alone. I had to tell the story in plain language, explain the “so what,” and make persuasive recommendations.

The Consulting Club, which supports first-years during recruiting, also helped equip me for the internship. Its curriculum includes strategies for case preparation that taught me how to structure difficult problems and find the best solutions. Those skills were useful when I presented my summer project to Cigna leadership. They responded positively and asked me to continue my work part-time during my second year, supporting implementation and helping to establish an ongoing sales strategy. My work over the summer didn’t end with a final presentation; it’s going to have a real impact.

I was originally drawn to the FLDP because I wanted to understand how strategic decisions are made and how different functions within the company work together. I was also interested in healthcare because it allows us to affect people’s lives for the better. Cigna is special because it offers a wide variety of opportunities within the same organization. During the internship, I learned about functions ranging from insurance to health services to pharmacy. I also came in contact with roles in strategy, corporate development, and even venture capital. I met people who had worked at Cigna for decades but had moved across many different roles and functions. The experience changed how I think about building a long-term career. I don’t have to identify one narrow path right away. At Cigna, people can continuously learn and reinvent themselves while remaining in the same organization.

Cigna also made networking feel natural. FLDP members eat lunch together every Wednesday. Instead of simply telling interns to talk to more people, the program connected me with people across areas and functions in a series of overview sessions. The structure allowed me to learn about opportunities and imagine different possible career paths. I also received a roster of all full-time FLDP members, who I reached out to and spoke with to understand their career decisions. Everyone I contacted, even complete strangers, was consistently willing to talk and help. Even though I was the only intern in my area, people organized both a welcome breakfast and a farewell lunch for me. One of my favorite moments was walking to Starbucks together with my FLDP friends. It is simple, but it shows the regular camaraderie that developed.

The Bloomfield campus is beautiful. It has wide green views of a golf course, light-filled areas, six courtyards, a gym, an on-site clinic, a large cafeteria, pickleball courts, and even a gardening team. The campus felt like a place designed with employee well-being in mind—a very fitting setup for a healthcare company!

In the future, I hope to become a leader who makes an impact on the healthcare system. My internship at Cigna gave me a window into the complex dynamics of healthcare, especially from a financial perspective. Most importantly, it showed me what a long-term career could look like.