INB’s three summer interns are seeing first-hand how their education, personalities, likes and dislikes could translate to a career in banking. These opportunities help them determine if banking could be a fit and gives INB a chance to learn what skills today’s college graduates will likely be bringing with them. In other words, it’s a win-win.
Learn more about INB’s 2022 summer interns.
Morgan Burr Gets Ready to Close Out College Career
College: Illinois College
Degree path: B.S. Business Administration, Management Concentration; Finance Minor
Expected graduation: Dec. 2022
Morgan Burr is spending her summer under the direction of Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Tom Gihl. That means she’s getting hands on experience in many areas of the bank. She’s spent time learning about remittance operations, treasury service and sales. She’s even helping bring the work of multiple areas of the bank together through a “share of wallet” project. To create a product that will update monthly, Morgan says she learned about software that she didn’t know existed (like Visio). She noted that while she had some Excel experience, it was Data Analyst Tanvi Sharma who helped broaden Morgan’s Excel work through pivot tables and other functions that Excel offers.
Before starting her internship, Morgan admits she didn’t know much about banking. “I’m not just saying this because I work in a bank now, but I could see myself in the banking industry. I have really enjoyed my time here and learning all the different areas of banking. It is so much more than just depositing money.”
Morgan adds that she expects the few months at INB will help her significantly as she begins looking for a full-time job after graduation. “Having some experience in a large business setting prepared me well . . . Between all the things I’ve learned, it has continued to reassure me that I’m where I’m supposed to be and headed in the right direction to start a career.”
In addition to her studies as IC, Morgan, a Deer Creek (between Peoria and Bloomington) native, has been the setter for the school’s volleyball team. She says setting is a lot like being a quarterback of a football team, noting that translates to being able to lead.
She adds that she chose to go to school in Jacksonville so her parents could attend her games. She says proudly that they come to every home game, and 90 percent of the away games.
Morgan has back office work experience with mechanical and utility contractor G.A. Rich & Sons and a State Farm agency. Before spending the summer with INB, she thought she might want to pursue an insurance career, but says she now is more interested in looking at banking opportunities.
Adam Madonia Takes on Converting Text to Charts and Graphs
College: Kelley School of Business, Indiana University
Degree Path: Accounting and Business Analytics
Expected graduation: May 2024
Adam Madonia had choices when it came to choosing a college. He knew he wanted to stay in the Midwest, close to his family home in Springfield . . . but not too close. He toured most of the big 10 schools. When Indiana’s prestigious Kelley School of Business offered him a scholarship, he happily accepted the offer. Now with two years behind him, he’s looking forward to taking more of the core curriculum when he heads back to the university in the fall.
Adam came to INB to serve as an accounting intern under the leadership of INB VP, Controller, Craig Clark. Adam’s been given the task of converting text documents into a PowerPoint presentation using graphs and charts to help INB staff see trends, highlights, and basically gather information at a glance. “Sometimes the text can just be too much,” Adam explains.
“My first day here, Craig gave us a report to read. I was confused at the time,” he continues. When he got the assignment, things clicked.
Adam and fellow intern Jack Thoma (profile below) are now creating draft five or six of that presentation, and Adam is quick to point out it is much better than draft number one.
Adam says classroom learning, especially math, comes pretty easy for him. As a sophomore, he served as a teaching assistant for a finite math class. The assistance-ship was created by IU because many students were failing. Now, the class is 15 minutes of lecture followed by 35-40 minutes where small groups of students work through a problem. Adam is there to help the small groups if they get stuck. To do this, he sits in on six finite math classes a week.
Adam admits math comes easy for him. Numbers is a family thing, he says. Both his mother and sister are accountants, and Adam will likely follow that path. That will mean adding another year onto his college career. He’s already put serious consideration into master’s programs and schools. “I like to have things planned,” he says.
Perhaps that’s why he plays bridge, a game that requires planning and strategy. Adam learned to play with his grandmother when he was in 8th grade.
While Adam played basketball and ran track in high school, now he primarily plays recreational basketball and watches sports on TV. He uses some of his limited free time to be part of a business fraternity that helps him make connections while also providing community service and money for local organizations.
Jack Thoma Improves Communications, Critical Thinking Skills
College: University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign
Degree Path: Finance and Accounting
Expected graduation: May 2024
Jack Thoma knew Adam from high school; they’re both Sacred-Heart Griffin graduates. Neither knew they’d be working together this summer until right before they started.
Jack’s family farms corn and soy beans in Divernon, Ill. Though Jack’s not sure at this point if he’ll farm as a career, his dad encouraged him to get a business degree saying, “We can teach you farming.”
“Farming really is a business,” Jack points out. He’s helped in the office, and believes he can learn strategies in business school that can make the farm successful into the future.
The business degree was an easy choice for Jack. “I’ve always loved math, numbers and solving problems.” His father is an accountant, so he’s been exposed to the career his entire life.
With just weeks under his belt at INB, Jack says he’s learning a lot. First of all, he says, he’s seen firsthand the importance of simple communications. Summer jobs mowing grass and working for his family didn’t give him what he would call a “true supervisor.” He says he’s learned from Craig the importance of checking in and having regular, planned discussions. With regular updates, he expects he and Adam will be able to more quickly get to a finished product.
He adds he’s also learned to be more efficient using software programs like Excel and PowerPoint. He notes these efficiencies will help him no matter what he does in the future.
And while he doesn’t like to read, he read through the business document Craig had given him and Adam, absorbed the information, and began pulling out qualitative information. “I think this made us better critical thinkers,” he admits.
At the U of I, Jack is a member of College Ventures. The group raises money to provide a grant to high school students from underprivileged backgrounds. The group fundraises by asking for donations or working with local businesses to donate a percentage of a day’s sales, for example. The group’s goal is $10,000 in donations a year. Each member is expected to donate $50, then ask three other people to donate the same.
When he has free time, Jack hangs out with family and friends. He plays basketball and golf. He says he doesn’t watch a lot of TV or play many video games because he prefers being with other people. He’s also in a social fraternity.