Career Takeoff: Mason’s Journey From Intern To Commercial Loan Officer

Note: This is part of a series featuring Honor Team Members who started as interns.

By Mason McFarland | Honor CU

“When I grow up, I want to be a Credit Union’er.”

Whether Credit Union’er is in the Webster Dictionary and has replaced banker is still to be determined, but for me, at the age of 7, it seemed significantly better than banker. Back then, not only did I want to be a Credit Union’er, but I wanted to be like my dad, Scott McFarland, a Chief Executive Officer of a credit union. I knew this would be a long journey, but Honor provided me the opportunity to explore which path fits me best through the “Becoming Part of It” Internship Program.

My journey started as a senior in high school with the Operations and Marketing Team at Honor Credit Union. Through that opportunity, I learned from teams with years of expertise which helped me explore what being a Credit Union’er really meant. This allowed me to gain hands-on training in two extremely important departments. I also created relationships with individuals that provided me with knowledge and understanding.

Honor has truly been a place that has allowed me to explore what it means to be a Credit Union’er and help me grow towards achieving my goal of becoming a Chief Executive Officer.

Mason McFarland
Commercial Loan Officer & Former Intern

After eight months of working with those two teams, I graduated high school and transitioned to a Float Teller, where I learned the member experience aspect of being a Credit Union’er. Working as a Teller meant I got to work first-hand with members, which helped me discover that I enjoyed working with members and hearing their stories. The member center team I worked with helped guide and show me what it meant to live Honor’s Commitments to its members.

The summer after I completed my first year of college, I was fortunate to return to Honor once again, this time as a Real Estate Specialist. I truly appreciated learning about this back-office operational role. Working with this team allowed me to contribute ways to refine a process and help simplify tasks for that team.

In addition, I was able to embrace implementing change and proving how that change would benefit the team. This team held a special place in my heart as they also highlighted the amazing culture that comes with being a part of Team Honor. I struggle to remember a time that was more fun than the summer spent with this team.

Finally, throughout my internship journey, I was able to see a variety of operational departments and gain knowledge of the importance of member service at Honor.

I then began my role as Kalamazoo Connect Center Manager, a position I was able to begin just two weeks after college graduation. Through this position, I was able to leverage the teammates I’ve met along the way to answer any questions that have arisen.

I was also been able to embrace change and develop new strategies for the Connect Center. After a few years of serving as Connect Center Manager I was ready for my next step and am happily settled into my role as Commercial Loan Officer on Honor’s business team.

Honor has truly been a place that has allowed me to explore what it means to be a Credit Union’er and help me grow towards achieving my goal of becoming a Chief Executive Officer.