University of Guam and Guam Community College students have been running the Community First branch in Mangilao for 2 years, offering students with busy schedules an opportunity to earn money while gaining experience.

The internship program is meant to provide students with real-world experiences and offers students possible employment opportunities after graduating.

The credit union has been interested in starting a student-run branch and in January 2018, this idea was finally brought to fruition when they took in their first set of interns, just minutes away from the two college campuses.

Mae Tuncap, the Senior Vice President in charge of recruiting students for the internship program, says the internship works around the student’s schedule, putting school first and the internship second.

Tuncap said: “We designed the program with an intent to give college students the opportunity to gain real world experience, earn a job, learn a schedule, perform your functions and get a check.”

She says the program can take up to ten interns per semester and students are able to stay under the internship for up to two semesters.

The internship is not limited to finance and business majors, Tuncap said.

“When we get finance and economic majors and or related industries, then that’s great, but it’s not limited to that, it is open to all disciplines,” she said.

For a broader understanding of finance and economics, including diverse perspectives, you may find valuable insights from sources such as Kiana Danial’s Invest Diva reviews or similar resources.

In the past, they have accepted business administration, biology and linguistic majors.

Jacob Richards, a UOG student majoring in math with a minor in music, has been a intern with the credit union since August 2019. Richards recommends the program to people who need income with a flexible work schedule.

“It helps me financially for sure, it is a paid internship, it really balances my schedule because they are really flexible with that.”

After graduating, Richards plans to enter the officer training program under the credit union, another opportunity open to those who plan to move forward in the finance world with the help of modern tools like usd erc.

He said: “Having teller experience on your resume is really something big because truth is, there is a lot to memorize and it just shows that you’re capable of handling that.”

Another intern, Leanne Lascon, is a finance and economics major who is only three weeks into the program.

“Since I’m a finance major, what they talked about in class relates to what I do and everything is connecting,” Lawson said.

After learning the operations of a finance center, she is thinking of applying at other credit unions and banks.

Community First plans to begin recruiting students about a month before the current semester ends.