SESLOC’s relationship with Cal Poly goes back to our founding, when our first “branch” was located in a desk drawer at a professor’s office. Today, we provide more than a full-service branch, ATM and fair access to financial services to students, employees and alumni. We also give a select group of Cal Poly students to expand their “Learn by Doing” curriculum through hands-on experience inside our credit union.
SESLOC’s fifth summer internship cycle welcomed five Cal Poly students in the areas of marketing, finance and information technology. The group worked in coordination with our teams to work on practical projects benefiting our membership while developing professional skills that will serve them in their future careers. Here are our interns experiences and how they learned while at SESLOC in their own words.
Ella Ankley & Ava Hart: Marketing Interns
Ella Ankley was the Graphic Design Intern and Ava Hart was the Content Creation Intern on the Marketing Team. Together, they worked on graphic campaigns, social media content and articles with the goal of reaching the campus community and member-owners with financial education content. Their work resulted in increased engagement across digital touchpoints.
“My internship at SESLOC was a really great experience. As a graphic design marketing intern, I gained a deeper understanding of how my design skills can contribute to a broader marketing strategy. I had the opportunity to observe the creative process from concept to completion and better understand the collaboration required to successfully execute marketing initiatives. Through this experience, I strengthened not only my graphic design abilities, but also my communication and teamwork skills, providing me with meaningful insight and hands-on experience beyond what can be learned in the classroom.”
–Ella Ankley
“My internship at SESLOC was such a great experience and taught me so much about marketing and working in a professional environment. I loved getting to work on different projects, create content, and learn more about the credit union industry. I’m so grateful for everything I learned this summer and all the people I got to meet and work with!”
-Ava Hart
Arti Covali & Tristian Spears: System Development Interns
Arti Covali and Tristan Spears worked together as the System Development Interns. Together, they worked on projects within SESLOC’s Information Technology team to improve the member experience. Their work contributed to database efficiency and workflows to reinforce reliability and set the stage for future innovation serving all our member-owners.
“My internship at SESLOC has been a valuable experience because I was able to work on projects that had a real impact while learning how technology is used in a financial environment. Throughout the internship, I worked with Python, PowerOn, and OpCon to automate and improve different data-processing workflows, which taught me a lot about writing reliable code, working with changing business requirements, and understanding how different systems connect. I also learned how important communication and attention to detail are when your work supports other departments and their day-to-day processes. Overall, I’m leaving SESLOC with stronger technical and problem-solving skills, a much better understanding of how software is used in the financial industry, and a lot of experience that I’ll be able to carry into future roles.”
-Arti Covali
“I had a great experience interning at SESLOC as a Systems Development Intern. I got lots of relevant professional software development experience, and learned a lot more about my field. I got to work in a team and solve complex problems. I also had autonomy to work on projects myself and figure out an approach on my own. Everyone at SESLOC is super friendly. I felt welcomed and supported here. I learned a lot about the IT and Systems Development departments, but also many other departments. I also learned a lot about credit unions, what they are, and how they operate. Thank you so much to SESLOC for a great first internship, an intro to being a professional, and a super fun summer!”
-Tristian Spear
Anh Tran: Finance Intern
Anh Tran was the Finance Intern. Working directly with our internal Finance team, she learned directly about how credit unions operate to the benefit of the membership. Her work included loan profitability analysis, tax estimates and improving internal templates.
“The most rewarding part of my internship was getting the opportunity to contribute to the overall bigger picture. Being an intern, I did not expect to be able to make such meaningful contributions to the company culture and operations but I quickly realized that everyone at SESLOC is one big team. I appreciate the opportunity to learn and grow from such experienced professionals but also being able to collaborate with them and bounce ideas around each other. I also am grateful to have gotten the chance to dip my toes in a wide variety of finance operations. I got to work with items from forecasting all the way to portfolio optimization. Learning all these new skills will contribute to my career and I’m excited to take all I’ve learned at SESLOC with me wherever I end up.”
-Anh Tran
All of us at SESLOC would like to thank our interns for their incredible work throughout the summer. We are proud to be part of their professional development and look forward to tracking their progress in the classroom and their future careers. We wish them the best on whatever comes next.