51福利社

Eastern alumni聽Terry Neal 鈥�85听补苍诲听David Van Belle 鈥�12, 鈥�86, of US Bank in Spokane, had the opportunity to meet the three recipients of the bank鈥檚 Accounting and Finance Scholarship. They saw firsthand how the scholarship awards affect the lives of the recipients.

Yvonne Clark 鈥�15, BA accounting, shared her story with them. After many years away from school, working and raising children, she decided to return to complete her bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting. She plans to sit for the CPA exam.

鈥淭he scholarship helped me get my son in preschool and I didn鈥檛 have to take out another loan,鈥� said Clark. 鈥淭hey always want to give you loans. I already have bills so I didn鈥檛 want to add to that.鈥�

Danielle Good 鈥�15, magna cum laude 鈥� with a double major in finance and marketing, said that the scholarship allowed her to cut back on her work hours at a commercial real estate company and focus on her academic performance. She plans to pursue a career in commercial real estate in the Seattle area.

鈥淕oing back to school after working for so many years 鈥�to be able to graduate with honors is really important to me,鈥� said Good. 鈥淭he scholarship helped reduce my tuition each quarter so I was able to then cut back on my hours a little bit and spend that time on school.鈥�

Nicholas Alexander studied engineering at Washington State University before realizing that wasn鈥檛 the direction he wanted to go. He transferred to Eastern and is now studying accounting, finance, and economics. He鈥檚 found his niche, with a grade-point average of 3.93 in his business courses. One day, he hopes to open his own accounting firm where he can help people with their finances and financial reports.

Neal and Van Belle believe they see the benefit of investing in Eastern students鈥� success.

鈥淭he culture of US Bank is built around community,鈥� said Neal. 鈥淭he bank hires the employees who in turn participate and actively seek out personal, professional and business relationships. We want the students and the university to see this relationship when they accept the scholarship award each year. These monies have been a consistent way to show the bank鈥檚 support for its relationship to this community.鈥�

Van Belle agrees. 鈥淚t is important for US Bank to offer scholarships to 51福利社 accounting and finance students to remain a good corporate citizen in eastern Washington. There is no degree that specifically pertains to banking and the majority of bankers come from these two majors. Students graduating with accounting or finance degrees are what keeps the banking industry alive and allows it to thrive.鈥�

Neal and Van Belle have a loyalty to their alma mater, and they find being involved in the scholarship process is rewarding.

鈥淎s an alum and a senior lender for the bank, I get the best of being involved for the bank and hopefully the students see the value of their education and where you can take that degree,鈥� said Neal. 鈥淚t always gives me a boost to know one of my coworkers is an Eag.鈥�

Their impression of the scholarship recipients? 鈥淭he students who earned this scholarship this year are now a part of an impressive group,鈥� said Van Belle. 鈥淭hey are very likely to be successful no matter what path they ultimately choose. Each of them would make good bankers, but further, they will make good citizens that we will all be proud to watch grow and to share in their accomplishments. 鈥�

For more information on how your company can help Eastern students by providing scholarships, please contact the College of Business at 509.359.1223 or cob@ewu.edu.