Employee Spotlight: Emily Daykin, Director of People

We are excited to welcome Emily Daykin to our team as our new Director of People.

Emily brings almost a decade of experience building and scaling people operations in high-growth environments. Most recently, she served as Director of People at Kaia Health, a digital health company, leading global HR and talent initiatives.

Emily’s expertise lies in designing people systems and processes that drive employee engagement and support growing teams. Before Kaia, she recruited across clinical, tech, sales, and operations at TrialSpark and NYU Langone Health.

As we expand our reach and impact, Emily will be instrumental in building a team and culture that can deliver student loan relief and financial wellness to communities nationwide.

What drew you to Summer’s mission and this role?‍

I know how significant a burden student debt is for millions of people in the U.S. I’ve experienced firsthand how confusing the process can be, especially when loans aren’t consolidated, are spread across multiple servicers, or even transferred without notice. That’s why I’m genuinely excited to join a company dedicated to simplifying this experience and helping people live healthier financial lives.

Beyond the mission, I was so impressed by every person I spoke with. It was immediately clear how passionate the team is and how strong the culture is at Summer. I’m excited to work alongside such thoughtful people to expand our impact, bring our mission to as many individuals as possible, and continue building an incredible culture together.

What do you want people to know about what it's like to work here?‍

At Summer, you work alongside passionate people who care deeply about what they do and about each other. We have a strong, supportive culture, which is driven by our shared mission to do work that truly impacts people’s lives.

What are you most excited to see evolve at Summer as we scale?‍

As we scale, there’s two things that I’m especially excited about. First is seeing our impact grow. As we build out the team, we’ll be able to reach more people and help millions of users move closer to financial freedom. Second is continuing to build our strong, inclusive, mission driven culture by bringing in new perspectives and ideas.

As an HR leader yourself, why do you think student loan assistance has become such a critical benefit for employers to offer right now?

As an HR leader, I think student loan assistance has become such a critical benefit because higher education is often a requirement to enter the workforce, yet the cost of obtaining that education has become increasingly difficult to manage. Many employees, especially those early in their careers but really at every experience level, feel stuck because their loan balances grow faster than their ability to pay them down.

Supporting student loan repayment helps employees build financial stability early in their careers, not just someday in the future. Just as we invest in retirement benefits to support long-term financial health, student loan assistance helps employees live healthier financial lives now, reducing stress, improving focus, and creating a more engaged, supported workforce.