Rody Lyon

"In searching for my career calling, I knew I wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of my community. Banking is an excellent industry for helping others, achieving goals and continual self-growth."

2023 Bank Intern
Jones Bank, Seward

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What high school did you attend?
Giltner High School

What is your year in school?
Senior

What college did/do you attend?
Concordia University

What is your major?
Business Administration (concentrations in finance and management)

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What influenced your decision to do a banking internship?
In searching for my career calling, I knew I wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of my community. Banking is an excellent industry for helping others, achieving goals, and continual self-growth. This prompted me to seek an internship to sharpen my skills and learn how banks work together to better their communities.

What has been the most beneficial part of your internship?
The most beneficial part of my internship was learning the language used in the banking industry. There are a lot of moving parts for a bank to be successful. For example, collaboration and a general understanding of each department create smooth and efficient daily operations. Being able to understand the topics and practices my coworkers discuss, I am better equipped to contribute to the success of our bank.

What areas of banking did you focus on in your internship? Is this something you want to continue doing in the future?
Throughout the summer, I worked mostly with the loan department for my internship. I was fortunate enough to learn multiple aspects of the loan department. Through this internship, I was able to analyze financial documents, home inspections, credit analysis, prospect and customer meetings, data entry, as well gaining basic knowledge in ag, mortgage, and consumer lending. Lending is an area I want to continue to grow my knowledge in. I am looking forward to my banking career after graduating from college, thanks to the building blocks from this internship experience.

How has this internship grown your interest in the banking career path?
This internship has shown me that a career in banking is a career full of purpose. Banks are able to help their community in many different ways. Witnessing this firsthand in this internship has greatly grown my interest in pursuing a career in banking.

What is the most important thing you have learned through your internship?
The most important thing I have learned in my internship is building relationships in the community. The bank thrives when the community is thriving; therefore, the perfect catalyst is being involved in the community and discovering ways to help assist people.

Do you think this internship will help you in your future? If so, how?
Yes, I’m confident this internship will greatly help my future. One of the keys to a successful career is building a strong foundation at the beginning. This internship has given me the knowledge and skills to be able to build a strong foundation, so I have the opportunity to create a successful career.

What would you say to someone who is considering a banking internship?
I would say to do it! Internships are a great way to find out more about oneself and what their interest are. The banking industry has many different careers and paths to choose from; an internship can help someone discover a career that works best for them. Even if one doesn’t choose to pick a career in banking, the lessons and skills learned in an internship translate well to other career paths.

Anything else you would like to add?
I want to thank Jones Bank for all the time and help that they invested in me for this internship. They have been a great team to work with as well as learn from.