This summer, INB’s six interns are working across various departments to gain valuable experience and to see whether
banking might be a fit for their futures. And just as valuable for INB: we get to learn from their unique perspective and find out what skills today’s college graduates might bring with them.
Meet our 2024 summer interns…
Stephen McDowell Gets Inside Look at Banking Operations
College: University of Missouri
Degree path: M.S. Accounting
Expected graduation: May 2027
Stephen McDowell has been impressed over the last few weeks by how much behind-the-scenes action truly goes into operating a bank. As an accounting major entering his junior year at the University of Missouri, it wasn’t something he’d given a lot of thought to prior to his internship at INB.
Now as an accounting intern, he’s been glad to learn some of the ropes in the banking industry, especially as he considers future career options.
“I am not quite sure what my career plans are after school, but many people at INB have given me lots of advice,” says Stephen, who is an SHG graduate from Springfield. “I also learned lots about how the banking world works, so I have more of an idea of what to expect regarding any possibilities in banking.”
This summer, Stephen has built up his skills in Excel and PowerPoint as he assists the accounting department.
“I’ve enjoyed working with the accounting and finance staff, especially learning from INB’s senior finance consultant,” he says.
And after crunching numbers all day, Stephen likes to be active, particularly playing golf and pickleball with family and friends. He also loves watching sports, his favorite being college football.
As the summer winds down, he’s grateful for the chance to gain hands-on accounting experience at INB that will complement his studies.
“I have a much better idea now about how much work truly goes into running a bank and how much action happens on the inside, and my favorite part about being at INB has been the learning experience and what it has taught me,” Stephen says.
Remi Mendenhall Is Ready to Apply Marketing Experience to Future Career
College: Millikin University
Degree path: B.S. Management
Expected graduation: May 2026
You might be confused when you meet Remi Mendenhall’s English bulldog…because her name is also Remi!
“That was already her name when I adopted her in September of 2023 and since she is 9, I was not going to change that,” Remi (the person) shares.
Otherwise, Remi has found that change can be a good thing, and this summer she’s learning all kinds of new things about the world of bank marketing as INB’s marketing intern.
Remi will be a junior at Millikin University, working toward a Bachelor of Science in Management with a marketing minor. She’s originally from Buffalo and graduated high school from Sangamon Valley High School in Niantic.
At INB, Remi’s summer responsibilities have included writing blog posts, creating social media art and captions, scheduling blog/social media posts, helping with event planning, and generally supporting the marketing department. Even amid all this learning and working, she’s been struck by the constant joy in the office.
“I love that everyone is nice here; there are always so many smiles around the office,” she shares. “I also love how when it is someone’s birthday, it is celebrated!”
Remi is no stranger to spreading joy herself; she has volunteered with the Ansar Shrine frequently throughout her life, helping at the circus, pancake and sausage breakfast, and the chili cookoff.
When she’s got the time, she also enjoys crafting, reading (“especially after high school when I have the chance to choose what I want to read!”) and hanging out with her boyfriend of four years, Garrett. The pair spends a lot of time at the lake riding jet skis.
Remi already knows she’ll be able to use much of what she’s learned at INB this summer, whether she applies for Millikin’s MBA program or pursues a career as a real estate agent.
“I have had this dream of being a real estate agent and owning my own brokerage, but during my next two years at Millikin this may change. INB has helped so far because you must be able to market yourself as an agent and be able to get clients,” she shares.
Ian McAfee Helps Bank’s Backend Operations
College: University of Missouri
Degree path: B.S. Business Administration
Expected graduation: May 2026
This summer, Ian McAfee has been able to get a rare behind-the-scenes view of how banking actually works.
The Pleasant Plains High School graduate is interning for INB’s Deposit Operations. His focus has been helping the deposit operations team with the ACH payment update project and reviewing clients ACH agreements.
“So far, my favorite part about my internship here at INB has been being able to see firsthand all the work that goes into the backend on both the business-to-business side and the business-to-consumer side,” Ian shares.
Ian currently attends the University of Missouri, double majoring in Economics and Finance and on target to graduate in the spring of 2026.
In his free time, he enjoys working out, hunting, and fishing. He’s an Eagle Scout and has received specialized training with the National Youth Leadership.
Ian’s future career goals involve working his way into private equity.
“I believe the skills I’ve learned and the experience I’ve earned while working here has put me on the right path,” he says.
Ryan Robinson Sharpens Skills in Accounting
College: University of Mississippi
Degree path: B.S. Finance
Expected graduation: December 2025
A main focus of INB this summer has been improving the way we gather and display information and data. Ryan Robinson has played a key role in this, which he knows will translate well to many future career options.
“I think this is a great skill to have because of its universal applications in any career,” says Ryan, who is majoring in finance at the University of Mississippi.
Ryan, originally from Rochester, has been an accounting intern for INB this summer, primarily working with INB’s senior financial consultant and assisting with creating and editing financial reports and presentations.
“My favorite part about interning at INB is the people that I have been surrounded by. They’ve taught me what it means to build relationships with coworkers and how that enhances the quality of work that is done and overall, the quality of life in the workplace,” Ryan shares. “It is much more enjoyable to work when the people around you truly care and want you to succeed.”
Outside of the office, Ryan enjoys being …well, outside! His favorite hobbies are hunting and golfing with friends and family. He’s also a yearly volunteer during the Illinois State Fair for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, teaching the public how to handle and operate archery equipment properly and safely.
When he’s at school, he loves to tailgate in The Grove and attend Ole Miss football games. After he graduates, he plans to pursue a career in the financial world, possibly as a financial advisor.
“INB has helped me to understand more of what it takes to run a successful financial institution,” Ryan says. “I’ve made connections with people who are eager and willing to teach, which has been huge for me to be able to continue to learn.”
Brandon Raps Makes Banking Easier Behind the Scenes
College: University of Illinois Springfield
Degree path: B.S. Management Information Systems
Expected graduation: May 2026
Being skilled in technology means you become good at helping people.
Our IT professionals at INB epitomize “making banking easy” behind the scenes, even at our intern level, which of course makes both our customers and our staff members’ lives easier. IT intern Brandon Raps, a Rochester native, has been a major contributor to that goal this summer.
“My role at INB as the IT intern is to implement all the employees and applications into an identity access management system called Provision,” he explains. “With this application, onboarding and offboarding employees and providing access levels to certain employees can be done at a much more efficient rate.”
Heading into his junior year at UIS while majoring in Management Information Systems, Brandon has gained extensive IT experience already while working for the Student Helpdesk at UIS to assist students, faculty and staff with university software and troubleshooting problems. All his experiences have shown him that he still has so much more to learn.
“After working for the last two years as a help desk worker at UIS, being able to work here has opened my eyes on another side of IT,” he says. “My future career plans are getting more into the IT field and probably doing something like what I am doing. Whether it is telecommunications, service desk, IT security, or IT project management/development, I am still interested in the whole field itself and have a lot to learn.”
When he’s not troubleshooting for everyone, Brandon also invests time in his hobbies, including playing guitar/bass, building computers, gardening, and cooking. No matter what he’s doing, he’s a great team player and shares that he has enjoyed his summer at INB.
“My favorite part about interning at INB has been being able to meet the great people that work here. Everyone here is extremely nice, and the work environment is great,” Brandon says. “The biggest takeaway I have here is that IT is a lot bigger than what I thought I knew.”
Kyle Ingram Learns How Banks Maintain Compliance
College: University of Illinois Springfield
Degree path: B.S. Business Administration
Expected graduation: 2024
For the first half of summer, Kyle Ingram worked as an INB intern for the Compliance department. Kyle attends UIS, where he’s obtaining his bachelor of Business Administration with a focus in marketing, as well as a double minor in sports management and management information systems.
An SHG grad, Kyle is a member of the University of Illinois Academic and Student Affairs committee and the University of Illinois Audit, Budget, Finance, and Facilities committees.
He’s also a member of the University of Illinois Springfield Student Government Executive Board and member of University of Illinois Springfield Campus Senate, giving him the opportunity to present student perspectives on a wide range of issues to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
This is all while competing on the NCAA Div. 2 Men’s Basketball team!