Syracuse N.Y. — When Micron announced it would hire 9,000 employees to work in their microchip factory coming to Central New York, one group was not forgotten. Micron made a commitment to veterans like Savion Pollard. Pollard is Micron’s first intern hire in Central New York since the announcement of their $100 billion investment. Pollard appreciates the company’s effort to give back to those who served their country.
“Micron’s plan to hire 1,500 veterans is huge to me,” Pollard said. “Bringing chip manufacturing back to the United States in general would just be really big…them hiring veterans is even better.”
Those veterans will be joining a workforce with an average salary greater than $100,000 Micron promises. At a Micron event attended by President Joe Biden, Pollard saw firsthand the way the computer chip manufacturer would treat its employees.
“We were kinda lost in the crowd of people that was at the event,” Pollard said, “and then the Senior Vice President of Micron actually recognized who I was, and she came over. She said, ‘Hey Savion how’s it going?’ and she just walked me throughout the event. She introduced me to people, people that already knew who I was and knew my story, so it was amazing from the get-go.”
Pollard didn’t just get help from Micron. He says a big reason he landed the job in the first place was Syracuse University’s network of resources for veterans. As a student in his second year studying electrical engineering, Pollard was able to use his relationship with Vice Chancellor J. Michael Haynie to his advantage.
“Syracuse University’s slogan is, ‘the best place for vets’ and since being here I’ve realized it really is the best place for vets,” Pollard said. “My relationship with Dr. Haynie was formed just from our interactions inside the [National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University]. That connection has been really important. He’s been like a mentor to me.”
Pollard served in the Navy on nuclear submarines. He spent time in Norfolk, Virginia during his service and he will be returning to Virginia this summer to work as an intern at a Micron facility until the factory in Clay, New York is completed.
