Reflections on the past decades

I’m an immigrant. I came to this country twenty years ago. I didn’t know many things about life in the US and even less about how the financial system worked. It didn’t take long before I knew things weren’t so glamorous and that credit was a must if you wanted to rent or buy an apartment, have a credit card or get a loan.

While I was in school, an opportunity came along to interview for a job with Brooklyn Coop. I knew I wanted to help people in situations like mine, to use my Spanish and apply my prior experience in business & marketing on a corporate level to a role in a non-profit. I studied the web page and job description; I was so nervous to interview with the CEO! I had interviewed with another credit union for a marketing job, but when I met Samira, I just knew I wanted to work for BCoop. I was impressed by the mission, how the credit union was founded and her being so knowledgeable.

As you can guess, I got the job as loan officer. In a small organization, we need to adapt and learn many things quickly. I learned how to open accounts, how to explain what we do, attend events, do underwriting, do business loans, and after a few years facilitate mortgages.

I have witnessed the credit union grow through many events: a pandemic, economic turmoil, my own pregnancy and all the flexibility I got from BCoop. I’ve met many people in credit unions and partner organizations, developed extraordinary friendships and I hope I have made a difference in people’s lives. We are living challenging times now but the credit union has evolved and reinvented itself. It makes me proud and happy that I have stayed with BCoop all these years. Our new building represents lot of effort and a long-time commitment to our community. I’m honored to be part of the team.