Platte Valley Bank has long supported UW students through an alumni scholarship program. According to bank president Keith Geis (B.S. ’75), plans are underway to make that support even more tangible.
“My goal is to associate internships with those scholarships as part of the package. A student who earns a scholarship will also receive an internship with the company in order to develop real-life experience,” Geis says.
Currently, the bank awards an annual scholarship to a student who has completed their sophomore year at UW and not just to those in fields traditionally associated with banking. “The scholarships cover the full educational spectrum,” Geis says. “They might be a marketing student, or human resources, or lending or accounting, there’s a full gamut of different areas where we can place individuals.”
This will not be the first time Platte Valley Bank has placed student interns, and in many cases those students have gone on to jobs with the bank upon their graduation. Although the process for this connected scholarship-internship program is still being developed, Geis has thought carefully about what traits he is looking for in an applicant.
“An intern with a strong work ethic is one who will migrate to the top of the list. Being able to work in an environment where customers and associates are in close proximity requires a great deal of self-discipline,” he says. “It is important to be able to focus on doing the job, regardless of anything else going on around you,” Geis explains.
Geis says the bank is grateful for the opportunity to provide scholarships but also the opportunities of getting to know the young people associated with UW. “It is a great institution, and it is a privilege and honor to be able to participate in the success of some of the students there.”