I was first introduced to CFTEA (Center for Financial Training and Education Alliance) in November of 2017 as a new banker. One of my mentors was eager to take some classes in person, but she didn’t want to take classes alone. I had never been one that enjoyed school. I was a very shy, self-conscious student. It took her some time, but my mentor’s eagerness and persistence lead me to taking my first CFTEA course, which lead to another, and ultimately lead to me being a teacher of ABA Principles of Banking for CFTEA. My experience with the community that is CFTEA inspired me to take a more active role by first joining the council, where I was an active member for 6 years and now, joining the board.