Banking on Success

Eastern alumni Terry Neal ’85 and David Van Belle ’12, ’86, of US Bank in Spokane, had the opportunity to meet the three recipients of the bank’s Accounting and Finance Scholarship. They saw firsthand how the scholarship awards affect the lives of the recipients.

Yvonne Clark ’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’s degree in accounting. She plans to sit for the CPA exam.

“The scholarship helped me get my son in preschool and I didn’t have to take out another loan,” said Clark. “They always want to give you loans. I already have bills so I didn’t want to add to that.”

Danielle Good ’15, magna cum laude – 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.

“Going back to school after working for so many years …to be able to graduate with honors is really important to me,” said Good. “The 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.”

Nicholas Alexander studied engineering at Washington State University before realizing that wasn’t the direction he wanted to go. He transferred to Eastern and is now studying accounting, finance, and economics. He’s 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’ success.

“The culture of US Bank is built around community,” said Neal. “The 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’s support for its relationship to this community.”

Van Belle agrees. “It is important for US Bank to offer scholarships to EWU 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.”

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

“As 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,” said Neal. “It always gives me a boost to know one of my coworkers is an Eag.”

Their impression of the scholarship recipients? “The students who earned this scholarship this year are now a part of an impressive group,” said Van Belle. “They 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. ”

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.