The SoFi internship program is designed to identify, engage, and nurture the next generation of leaders. We welcome students and recent graduates to grow their skills, knowledge, and professional networks while working on real-world projects.
As the summer wraps up, we're celebrating another successful year of our award-winning summer internship program. This season, we had the privilege of welcoming talented interns at our San Francisco HQ office. They dove into real-world projects, expanded their skills, and made a genuine impact on our teams. We're excited to spotlight four exceptional individuals who represent the future of SoFi and the industry as a whole.
Meet Sonal Naik, Software Engineer Intern
Sonal is a returning intern majoring in computer science at Purdue University.
Sonal: "My internship in data reliability engineering gave me a unique perspective on how technical work directly supports SoFi's mission. I learned that my team’s role is essential to create the link between raw data and the secure financial well-being of our members. We build the pipelines and systems that ensure data is reliable, secure, and accessible. Without this infrastructure, the insights and services that help members make informed financial decisions wouldn't be possible.
Because this was my second time interning at SoFi, I was already familiar with the company culture, so I focused on engaging with different teams to understand how they fit into the bigger picture.
I was on the winning hackathon and case study team, which was so exciting! For the hackathon, our team tackled the difficulties of correctly using the Pacific Design Documentation when creating design components. Our solution was an AI assistant designed to automate design system compliance and provide real-time, actionable guidance.
This season, I was most proud of the level of cross-team collaboration I engaged in. I worked with multiple teams under SoFi’s Data Platform and the Snowflake Polaris Catalog team, and it was fascinating to see how we brought together different perspectives and skills to achieve a shared goal."
Meet Omar Ali, Business Intelligence Intern
Omar is a computer science major at the University of Texas.
Omar: "During the case study, which our team went on to win, we tackled the challenge of rebuilding trust in the crypto lending space. Our team designed a regulatory-first crypto lending platform for SoFi, built around custody-lending firewalls, smart liquidation dashboards, and borrower education modules. I contributed heavily to the tiered lending architecture and helped shape the presentation’s narrative around transparency and trust. Alongside this, I also won the SoFi Hackathon, further reinforcing my ability to move quickly from problem identification to implementing solutions in both technical and business domains.
As a business intelligence development intern, my days were hands-on and always outcome-driven. A typical day started with validating pipeline outputs and ensuring Tableau dashboards were refreshed. I’d often join syncs with our Marketing Finance or Lifecycle Marketing teams to understand their reporting needs. In the afternoon, I’d write SQL transformations and Python automations to standardize channel data across business units and test updates to dashboards used for budget tracking. Everything I did tied back to building tools that helped stakeholders make better, faster decisions with consistent, trusted data.
The biggest thing I learned is how business intelligence developers can directly influence strategic outcomes when they have clarity and stakeholder alignment. I came into the internship focused on pipelines and performance, but I left with a deeper understanding of how to translate vague business questions into scalable technical solutions and build AI and data tools that save time, eliminate ambiguity, and inform critical decisions. I saw firsthand how my work creates leverage across the business, and that’s the type of impact I want to continue driving in my career."
Meet Kayley Vu, Product Design Intern
Kayley is an interactive design major at Texas A&M University.
Kayley: "Prior to this internship, my design systems knowledge was self-taught. Being on the design systems team at SoFi was a constant learning experience because I was taught more efficient practices that are crucial for properly scaling a design system at a large organization. What surprised me most about working at SoFi was how fast and agile the teams move, despite being a sizable company.
My assigned manager and mentor were my trusted advisors and truly made my summer. I also loved the team I was placed on; we're all a bunch of design nerds who share the same goal of giving SoFi the best user experience a fintech app can have. I was continually impressed by the talented designers here who are not only humble, but also helpful and respectful. As the design system intern, I was able to participate in design system office hours with my team and see all the cool solutions and work SoFi designers brought to us.
My proudest accomplishment would be my intern project: creating scalable components and documentation for forms UI. It was a high-impact project that not only gave me unique experience, but also earned me many thank-yous from product designers and engineers for making their work easier and more efficient. One designer even said, “Thank you for these forms [UI components] Kayley! Love when Pacific anticipates our needs.” I’m thankful for being given a project that encouraged me to deliver quality I am proud of.”
Meet Samari Staten, Capital Markets Intern
Samari is a business economics major at Brown University.
Samari: What surprised me the most was how genuinely welcoming everyone was. From day one, people were eager to introduce themselves and learn my story, making me feel like I belonged. The whole office has this incredible "open arms" environment where people are always willing to help, which made it easy for me to not only meet but exceed my own expectations.
Out of all my accomplishments this summer, I'm most proud of the relationships I've built and my final project. The intern program created so many opportunities to connect, from planned activities like the escape room and the pickleball tournament to simply grabbing lunch with other interns. These experiences allowed us to really get to know each other, share our stories, and form bonds that go beyond just a typical work environment. It's something I wouldn't have been able to find anywhere else.
My final project included creating a comparison analysis for the loan pools we sold to investors, loans we kept on the balance sheet, and the managed pool. The comparison sheds light on any discrepancies and gives a visual to investors on the pools they’ve purchased vs other pools. I'm proud to have built a key piece of our system that not only made my team's day-to-day work easier but also laid the groundwork for future automation. Seeing the immediate positive impact on their workflow was incredibly rewarding.
My biggest takeaway is that a step forward is always a step in the right direction. I've seen firsthand how everyone at SoFi, from interns to the C-suite, has taken unique paths to get here. But a shared trait among everyone is the constant drive to tackle challenges and improve the people around them. The company's core values aren't just words; they're a way of life that creates a truly positive culture. It's a culture I'm incredibly proud to have been a part of.
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