Central Penn College students attend inaugural Job Shadow Day with Members 1st Federal Credit Union
Story and photos by Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
Students from several business and communication classes at Central Penn College got treated to a unique experience on Wednesday, as Members 1st Federal Credit Union welcomed them to their first-ever Job Shadow Day at their corporate offices in Enola.
A variety of classes attended the event. Students from the following classes got to partake in this opportunity:
- Professor Mike DiVecchio’s BUS220: Principles of Marketing and BUS235 Consumer Behavior classes
- Dr. Michael Bouchard’s BUS365: Organizational Behavior class
- Dr. Paul Miller’s COM295: Media and Politics class
A year in the making
The event, which had been in the planning stages for over a year, started with an introduction from Director of the Center for Career Services and Development Steve Hassinger with Miller and HR Manager from Members 1st John Shoff in late 2024. Members 1st had been trying to develop a shadow program for local colleges and, after a series of meetings in 2025, decided to pilot the program with Central Penn College.
The event offered students several opportunities. First, employees from all areas of the Members 1st team gave brief presentations on what a “Day in the Life” of their position looked like. Secondly, each person explained their background, how they proceeded into their roles, and offered advice for aspiring college students.
In total, 33 students, two faculty and two staff members attended the event, along with around two dozen Members 1st employees.
Shoff served as the host for the day and offered introductions for each member and facilitated a question-and-answer session after each presenter.
Employees from the following areas of Members 1st participated in the shadow event:
- Lending
- Marketing
- Operations
- Retail & Customer Service
- Relationship Management
- Wealth Management
- IT
- Fraud/Risk
- Finance
There were a variety of themes that presented themselves during the event. First, each area stressed the importance of collaboration. Not one department spoke of their daily activities without discussing the necessity of teamwork, often sharing their interactions with members of other departments.
Secondly, employees of most departments shared their use of artificial intelligence, illustrating to the audience that AI use must be highly considered when dealing with customers’ sensitive information. While some departments were able to use AI as part of their workflow, several speakers shared how AI was being use to augment and enhance their skills, not to replace jobs.
A final theme that was evident was the pride that these individuals had for their jobs, most notably discussing the role that Members 1st plays in helping their community through mortgages, car loans, providing capital to small businesses and other financial services.
Establishing relationships that build your career
After the sessions concluded, the students were treated to lunch provided by Central Penn College and Members 1st. After the lunch session concluded, those from the Members 1st team who had presented during the shadowing experience made themselves available to speak with students about their career goals and offered advice for the attendees to consider going forward.
During the event, many students connected with speakers via LinkedIn, asked poignant questions related to their career goals and how to break into the business world, and took advantage of the time at the end of the event to network with one of about 20 Members 1st staff members who made themselves available for the networking hour.
What was so unique about this experience is that it is rare for a major company to pull back the curtains into what a typical day looks like in every department, also illustrating the need for cross-departmental collaboration and understanding the needs of the customers that a company might serve.
After the event, Hassinger noted, “The shadow day was a great way for students to learn about the wide range of career opportunities available with Members 1st. It was particularly impressive that the presenters were vice-presidents and other leaders of departments who took time out of their busy schedules to engage with our students.”
Student perspectives
After the event, a number of students offered their insights and reflections about the Members 1st Job Shadow Day.
Noah Lopez, Knightly News president and corporate communication major: This event, for me, provided not only an amazing educational experience but also huge networking opportunities. The Job Shadow Day allowed me to get my name out there to the people in the field I plan to pursue and also ask questions I have about career opportunities. The advice they gave was pertinent to my future goals and how to enter my field after graduation.
Alex Foley, Knightly News co-vice president and business administration major: The trip to Members 1st was a wonderful opportunity offered to students. I think one of the most valuable aspects of college is being exposed to career paths that I had never previously considered, so this experience gave me a first-hand look at what jobs could be available to me within the financial institution world. Also, it has been stressed to me that developing networking skills while in school is incredibly important for my future internship and career opportunities, so this trip was a great chance to learn how to properly network.
Leo Blocher, Knightly News reporter and business administration major: I thought the (Job Shadow Day) was both interesting and informative. For me personally, it reinforced the idea that all skills and experiences are at least somewhat valuable in business, because of the sheer breadth of what business is about. Especially a financial institution such as Members 1st, which has so many moving parts. There were so many different departments, all with different needs and different people with different backgrounds and skills, all working together for the same company with the same goal. It’s a level of cooperation that I respect. I’m grateful I got to come along and listen to the presentation and talk to everyone. It makes me feel much more secure in my future career to get key insights from professionals already in the industry about what the work is really about.
Until next time
After the event concluded, discussions had already begun about the next Members 1st Job Shadow Day, as Shoff shared that his team not only looks forward to doing something like this again in the future, but also, potentially, opening the experience up to other schools in the central Pennsylvania region.
In summary, this event was clearly beneficial to the students of Central Penn College, as they were able to meet industry professionals, receive advice from them about their daily tasks, hear more about how to enter into and progress through these career paths, and network with these influential leaders.
Central Penn College would like to thank Members 1st Federal Credit Union for their gracious hospitality and looks forward to future events like this down the line.
Members 1st Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution with over 600,000 members and $7 billion in assets. While its administrative headquarters is based in Enola, PA, Members 1st serves its members and communities through its network of nearly 60 branch locations throughout Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Northampton, Perry and York counties, as well as its robust digital banking and call center channels.
