“Interns are essential to the legal department because they participate in our day-to-day work with a fresh set of eyes. They also ask honest questions that allow us to think deeply about why we do the things we do,” explained Legal and Legislative Officer Becky Taylor.
Becky is speaking of the two interns who worked with GreenStone’s legal department this summer: Kade Preston and Makailah Danzy. Kade Preston, legal review intern, just graduated from Central Michigan University (CMU) with a bachelor's in law and economics. After this internship term, he will be returning to CMU to pursue a master's in finance. Kade’s tasks include ensuring the legal team has the right documents for loans and the certification process. During his role, he has been able to touch base with other agricultural associations throughout Michigan and grow his connection statewide.
For Kade, the biggest challenge this summer was time. Along with interning, he is extremely active in baseball. His summer was filled with training and games, but he was able to continue his internship with a flexible schedule. For many students, interning can seem impossible due to other obligations but it’s necessary to gain experience in the career field. The flexible schedules offered at GreenStone allow students like Kade to continue their extracurriculars while building their resume with valuable on the job skills.
This internship was the perfect career mix for Kade’s future goals. “My degree is a mix between law and economics, and I’ll be attending school in the fall for finance, so being able to work in the legal department for a financial institution is the perfect mix for me. I get to see the legal and financial side of everything and figure out which concentration I like more for my future career,” explained Kade.
The connections made during the internship will last a lifetime. “Having people like Becky Taylor and Pete Lemmer in my back pocket as references or to talk on my behalf is a really special. And being able to have experience at the 7th largest Farm Credit association is great for my resume,” said Kade.
Over in the Schoolcraft branch, Makailah Danzy spent her summer as a legal review intern. Makailah currently attends Florida A&M University and is majoring in biological systems engineering. Makailah enjoyed experiencing such a great first job opportunity. “After hearing the horror stories of my friends and classmates at their first jobs, I was very pleasantly surprised with how great of a company GreenStone is. You truly don’t hear about good companies very often, so I’m glad to have found one,” said Makailah.
Makailah’s daily duty was the loan certification process. She went over multiple documents like promissory notes and ensured that everything was filled out and matched the legal descriptions. "The biggest thing I learned during this internship was the loan process, I never knew about the lifespan of a loan or what all went into obtaining a mortgage. Now I really have a deeper understanding of loans in general,” said Makailah.
Regardless what your major is, GreenStone could be the right fit for you! As long as you are motivated and eager to learn, this internship would be a great way to explore any field. To learn more about interning with GreenStone, visit Jobs at GreenStone (greenstonefcs.com). Recruitment for the summer of 2023 begins this fall!
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