Earlier this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, instructor Carmen Williams kicked off her new BankWork$ class at The Energy Innovation Center. After celebrating 13 new BankWork$ graduates in her most recent summer class, she is excited to welcome more participants to BankWork$ and set them up for success in the financial services industry!

A Pittsburgh native, Carmen is no stranger to the financial services industry; she first began her career as a teller. With 23 years of banking experience, Carmen ended her career in financial services by working at First National Bank for five years. She also has a heart for non-profit work and spent two years of her career as an Administrative Assistant at The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. When Carmen learned about an opportunity to be a Career Navigator for BankWork$ at The Energy Innovation Center, she thought it would be a great mix between her love of banking and non-profit work. In June 2022, Carmen was promoted from Career Navigator to Instructor to lead her first in-person class.

Carmen describes herself as a background dancer. “I like being behind the scenes! However, this year, I had the opportunity to step into a new role as a BankWork$ Instructor, which has been very rewarding. I was nervous to start this new role because I didn’t want to fail my students. On my first day, I asked my students to give me grace because it was my first time, but a week into class, they all thought I was a natural. Because I’ve been in banking so long, when students have questions that go off the daily lessons, I know how to answer them and give them the right resources.”

For Carmen, the highlight of her job is watching her students graduate. “I get weepy every graduation ceremony. We all connect so much during those eight weeks, and it’s such a rewarding experience. I try to teach my students that you can go down many different paths in banking. Even if you find that one role in banking is not for you, you can always come back to a new role that uses your skills differently,” said Carmen.

Carmen’s mentorship often changes her students’ perception of the financial services industry. “On my first day, one woman said, ‘I’ll do anything, but I don’t want to be a teller,’ but after we did the cashbox exercises, she wanted nothing more than to be a teller. Her brother was so confident she would never want to be a teller that he thought I bribed her!”

Carmen is especially proud of graduates whose long-term career goals have guided them since the beginning of class. “One of my students knew she wanted to work somewhere where she could transfer to a different city later, and she’s doing that! She told me from day one that she was moving to North Carolina, and now she finally did it. Another previous student is working at my old bank, and I get to brag about her and her promotions any time I go back to visit.”

We are grateful for Carmen’s leadership, knowledge, and compassion for her students. We can’t wait to see her bring her expertise to many more classes in the future!

The Energy Innovation Center is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization with a mission to align workforce development and education. BankWork$ is offered nationally, free of charge to students all across the United States. We at CareerWork$ are proud to partner with The EIC to continue to bring BankWork$ to the greater Pittsburgh community.

Click here to learn more about BankWork$ and our partnership with Partner4Work and The Energy Innovation Center.

After immigrating to the United States from India, Divya Singh Kushwah got a job in the US working in human resources, but her goal was always greater stability and a consistent schedule. In January 2021, after hearing about BankWork$ at A New Leaf in Phoenix, Arizona from friends, Divya decided to make a career change and start a new path for her family.

“When I joined BankWork$, I knew nothing about the financial services industry,” said Divya. “I was beginning a totally new chapter of life, and it was overwhelming at first to learn so many different things. One of the reasons I loved the class so much was our instruction staff–I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor to help teach me everything. Whenever you’re trying to begin anything new, having mentors and guidance is so important to success.”

Divya’s instructor was Cheri Foschi, who has served as the BankWork$ instructor at A New Leaf since the class’s inception in 2016. “Cheri has stayed a mentor to me after I graduated. She’s always asking me about my current role and wants to stay in touch. We were virtual for the whole class due to the pandemic, but she adapted so well and built such a strong bond,” said Divya.

Cheri remembers Divya as being an extraordinary student and a great class leader. “Divya is one motivated young lady. She is known for establishing rapport with her clients and is 100% committed to meeting their needs. Divya will give ya one hundred percent!” said Cheri.

“Cheri gave us real-time scenarios to act out and learn from,” said Divya. “The mock interviews especially helped me strengthen my interviewing abilities, so I felt prepared for every question they asked. learned that it’s ok to ask lots of questions, and I’ve grown to be proud of my Indian accent.”

After graduating from BankWork$, Divya, like all BankWork$ and CareerWork$ Medical graduates, attended a hiring fair with local financial institutions and was met with immediate success. “At the hiring fair I got sixteen job offers!” remarked Divya. In May 2021, Divya accepted a position at Bank of America as a Senior Client Executive. One year later, she was promoted to Senior Fraud Analyst, a role she loves.

“In my current role I get to think like a detective,” said Divya. “You have to think so many ways of how fraud could have occurred, and you have to consider lots of different factors to protect the client as well as the financial institution. I do lots of background checks and am constantly learning new skills.”

Bank of America has been a long-term supporter of BankWork$ and has hired hundreds of BankWork$ graduates. CareerWork$ is proud to highlight other BankWork$ alumni from around the country who have gone on to work at Bank of America, including Rozanna Vakhapova, DaVonte Poole, and Jennifer Berg.

Divya encourages anyone considering BankWork$ to experience the program for themselves. “It was a new chapter for me. I didn’t have any idea how a financial institution worked. I had to learn new terminology, new skills, and how to deal with money. BankWork$ made it not only accessible, but enjoyable to learn!” said Divya.

To learn more about BankWork$ and our partnership with A New Leaf, click here. The next class begins on October 17, 2022.

Instructor Carmen Williams Inspires BankWork$ Participants to Pursue Their Dreams in Financial Services

Because of BankWork$, Divya Singh Kushwah Began a Career In Financial Services That Has Led Her to Bank of America.