Every unique and talented Avantee is a co-creator of the Avant culture we love. We hope the @Avant series helps you get to know who we are, how we do what we do, and what it looks like to build your career at Avant.
Sophia He
Senior Associate for the Risk team
Joined Avant in 2019
What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Sophia for her take on our culture, and here’s what she said:
1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?
For me, the people at Avant are our culture. People you can really count on, people who are very responsible to take ownership of their work and their projects. People who are always willing to help, who are never going to let you down.
It starts with hiring great people. Within your first month, you can see the accountability in the examples set by your colleagues and managers. People take accountability here—they take commitments seriously.
2. Why are you happy/successful here?
I’ve been working here for almost six years, which really indicates that I’m happy working here—I wouldn’t have stayed for so long if I wasn’t happy!
First, it’s the people around me. My supervisor, my team lead, my teammates, all really wonderful people. It makes me feel fulfilled to work with these people.
Second, the actual work I do is challenging and interesting. All the things I work on day to day are like solving a problem, making improvements to things I care about. It’s meaningful to know there’s a way to achieve it, accomplish it step by step, and then see the results.
3. What’s something Avant is really good at? What’s something you’d like to see us get better at?
I think what really impressed me, especially last year when Avant was facing some big challenges, is our ability to execute. We had a long list of items and we ended up achieving a ton of them. Speaking for the loan credit policy team, we made multiple changes in a very short period of time. I wasn’t even sure we could do it, and we did. Our ability to execute and achieve our goals is something that really impressed me.
I’d like to see us use that same ability to execute as we create more sustainable growth. As someone who has been working at Avant for a long time, I know we can set goals for the future and then bring those goals into the work that people do and the way we make decisions. That’s something I’d like to see more of.
4. If you were to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?
I’m a mother of a three-year-old girl. In the past three years, I have been spending so much time with her, reading books, exploring outside, exploring the city, museums, parks, and playgrounds. I love my quality time with her. I’m also trying to have a balanced life, a healthy lifestyle—eat healthy, cook at home, try to exercise regularly, and stay connected with family and friends. These are simple things that occupy a lot of my time.
5. How does your work at Avant fit into the rest of your life?
Working at Avant really gives me a sense of accomplishment. At this point, I have these accumulated skills and knowledge that are helpful to other people and valuable to the organization, too. That really feels good. When people don’t know something, they ask me, and I just know the answers. That feels great.
But mainly it’s that my job really gives me that sense of fulfillment—it really completes that part of my life.
8. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a diplomat. It stemmed from learning English when I was little. I was good at it and I thought, what job uses a foreign language to communicate? Diplomat. Dream big, right?
