Meet Mark

In 1983, Mark came to visit Ohio from California for a summer vacation and he never left. “I was visiting my dad who lived in Columbus. I took one look around and saw how fresh and nice it was here and said ‘Dad, I’m not going back to California’.”

He began working for Columbus City Schools a couple years later, starting as a custodian at Centennial High School and eventually becoming Head Custodian at Marion Franklin. His co-workers told him about the Credit Union.

“From what I remember, I’ve been with the Credit Union for as long as I’ve been with Columbus Schools,” says Mark.

Over the years, Mark has used many products and services from Education First, but it was only until recently that the Credit Union truly changed his life when he sat down with Jason, an Education First Relationship Officer.

“Since my wife’s death in 2007, I had not spoken to anyone about my finances,” says Mark. “Finally, I decided to open up and set my finances straight,” says Mark, who wanted to set a good example to his adult son and daughter on how to create a budget and balance his finances.

“Most people don’t know where you’re coming from because they’ve never walked a day in your shoes, but Jason really felt what my shoes were like,” says Mark. “And I walked around a bit in his shoes too and his felt a little better than mine, so I decided, for the first time, to listen and let him help me.”

Jason was able to crunch the numbers, consolidate debt and show Mark how his finances could work for him.

“For the first time, I really listened, and I really heard,” says Mark. “I learned that it’s all about building credit, and that can take time. You have to let it work, slowly.”

Mark is well on his way now to greater and greater financial success.

“You know, dealing with a bank is totally different than a Credit Union,” says Mark. “You don’t get that one-on-one attention. The Credit Union seems to understand where you are coming from.”