Intern Stories: Zo Lombardo

From Campus to the Credit Department

While at Illinois Wesleyan, he participated in a variety of activities. He has received a letter (a prestigious award given to students who excel in sports, academics or extracurricular activities) in lacrosse every academic year, achieved Academic All-Conference in his junior and senior years, worked in Dining Services for the campus cafeteria, was a Resident Assistant for a group of freshmen in his junior year, participated in courses that are involved in the IWU Endowment, and is involved in two different clubs, Private Equity and Investments and Trading.

Wanting to intern somewhere he would be valued and work towards his future, Zo reached out to his friends for advice. Zo had a discussion with former Heartland Bank credit intern, Daniel Flores who shared his great experience at Heartland. Daniel praised Heartland for their culture and impressive Internship program. After their conversation, Zo applied to the Internship program at Heartland Bank.

Outside of the internship and academics, Zo enjoys fishing, cooking, and working out. Zo has also played lacrosse in and out of school for the last decade.

Learning the Ropes

Zo is gaining practical experience in credit analysis at Heartland. He has had a variety of resources—such as the Credit Intern Training Manual, recommended books, and practice examples—that have been incredibly useful. His mentors have played a significant role in his professional development.

One of the best aspects of the internship for Zo has been the mentorship. Jake Seckler, Credit Operations Officer, and Zo’s colleagues in the Credit Department have been so supportive and open, which Zo appreciates. Dan Ladage, Senior Credit Analyst, has always been eager to help and answer Zo’s questions.

Zo is thankful for the mentorship and help from everyone in the Credit Department. Everyone has been super friendly, and Zo feels lucky to work with such a great team.

When asked about their time working together, Jake said:

“From day one, Zo has fit in extremely well with the Credit team. He asks great questions and is always eager to learn as much as he can with each new assignment. I appreciate the positive attitude, strong work ethic and professionalism he brings to the job each day!”

Zo’s Perspective:

Why did you choose to apply to Heartland Bank?

I applied to the Internship program at Heartland for a few different reasons. Something that was important to me was finding an internship where I felt valued as a person, not just as a cog in the machine. Following my time at another finance internship where this wasn't the case, I believed Heartland would offer me that opportunity.

I also wanted to be able to make an impact at a company while also being allowed to learn and grow. After discussions with a former intern here at the bank, it seemed like Heartland was a tight knit company with a true sense of community. I was used to this feeling from my time on different sports teams growing up in high school and college. It was a familiar feeling that I have welcomed back in my time at Heartland.

What are your responsibilities in your role?

My day-to-day experiences vary with great exposure to a lot of different areas. My overall responsibility is to assist analysts and managers in the credit analysis process. For about six weeks, I also worked on an Excel project with Jake Seckler and Dan Ladage that I found very valuable.

A great learning experience was going over tax returns. Before this role, I hadn’t even seen a tax return so the experience I got from working in credit during tax return season was great! It was very beneficial for me to work with other credit analysts to learn how the returns flow and where to find important information.

How does the internship align with your career goals?

I am unsure what the future holds. I don’t know what my career route will be, but I could see myself working in banking for most of my career and I know I want to start in credit. This internship has shown me what it would be like working in a credit department and the experience it can bring to your banking career. It has been very beneficial to have this experience at a growing community bank like Heartland!

What advice would you give to intern candidates or future interns?

I would tell anyone who was interested in banking to apply for the internship! My experience at Heartland Bank has been great, the hiring process was made smooth and easy by the hiring team, and it has been a pleasure to work with everyone within the Credit Team.

What else would you like to tell Heartland Bank employees about your experience?

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Comparing this internship to my last has been like night and day. I am so appreciative of the real work experience I have gained. It feels like every day I learn something new, and my overall knowledge of the departments across the bank has grown. I would recommend the internship to anyone who is interested!