Rosa pictured with her children.

Rosa pictured with her children.

On Rosa Olvera’s first day as an intern at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) over a decade ago, she says she felt shy and out of place. 

“I had never stepped into a corporate setting,” Olvera said. “I spoke very quietly, if I even spoke at all.” 

Olvera had graduated high school and hoped to find a new opportunity through Avenue Scholars. This program allows Omaha high school students, particularly those in need, to connect their education with the business world and embark on successful careers. 

She began with the program as a sophomore at Millard South High School. Olvera’s first internship through Avenue Scholars was with the Children’s Respite Care Center.  

Once that program concluded, Olvera arrived at BCBSNE as a data entry intern. At first, imposter syndrome was an internal battle, but it taught her an important lesson. 

“Take yourself seriously enough to be able to go talk to the people who have higher titles than you,” Olvera said. “Prove to yourself that you are serious.” 

Within her first year as an intern, Olvera was expecting a child. Her manager at BCBSNE held her hand and told her that everything would be okay. 

“I knew I couldn’t support a family as an intern,” Olvera said.  

Olvera secured a full-time position as a BCBSNE coordination of benefits (COB) specialist after her internship. The relationships she developed with managers as her career continued helped Olvera blossom. 

“In my first year in COB, I was very nervous to be on the phones,” Olvera said. “My lead told me to have confidence in my voice and reminded me that I was hired for a reason. That’s something that’s always stuck with me; I deserve to be here just as much as everyone else.” 

Olvera remembers when she first felt truly part of the team. The feeling came from a shoutout after working hard to clear up the workload of the COB department.  

“It came from someone higher up in the company,” Olvera said. “That was my first companywide kudos; it felt really good.” 

Now, 11 years since that first day, Olvera works as a Medicare secondary payer analyst. She’s a mother to two sons and is grateful that BCBSNE has allowed her to provide for her family. 

“I’ve never felt judged for anything,” Olvera said. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed at Blue Cross; they’ve always been super family orientated.” 

Olvera hopes that other future Avenue Scholars take the opportunities given to them through the program. 

“No matter your home life or background,” Olvera said, “you are worthy of a great career and a stable income.” 

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