The development of young talent is a critical issue for the equipment finance industry, and helping to attract students to the industry is a key initiative of the Foundation’s mission. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Foundation Scholarship Program’s launch, which to date has awarded 26 full-time undergraduate or graduate students scholarships of $5,000. Four Foundation scholarship recipients share their experiences and what they like about equipment finance.
Miranda Borgemoen, CLFP, Sales Representative, DLL
One of this year’s 10 scholarship recipients, Miranda Borgemoen began working in the equipment finance industry in 2017 for TCF Equipment Finance and learned the business in an entry level sales position. She says, “I have had tremendous mentors who have invested ample amounts of energy in me since the beginning of my career to learn this business in-depth. I have a dream for myself to become an executive leader in equipment finance one day. I owe it to them to pay it forward.” In addition to her current role as a sales professional for DLL, she is a wife, a mother to two toddlers, and a student pursuing her MBA from The University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. She is set to graduate in 2027. “I have been invited on several occasions to speak with the business students at my undergraduate alma mater, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. I love sharing my experiences in working and studying abroad, managing motherhood and career,” she says.
Borgemoen adds, “I love working in this industry because it feels like a small-town community where everyone knows each other. With my role being sales focused, I’m able think creatively in solving problems and have entrepreneurial spirit about how I work that allows me to make a greater impact to our business at DLL as well as to our customers.”
Susan Kalinay, MBA Equipment Finance Inside Sales Associate, 1st Equipment Finance, Inc.
A 2023 scholarship recipient, Susie Kalinay got her start in the equipment finance industry in 2016 as an application entry processor at FNB Equipment Finance. She says it was a steady 9-to-5, and at that point, “just a job.” After about five years, her interest in the organization started to gain traction. “I was interested in the types of equipment that we were financing, the types of credit, the customers, and how impactful and vast the industry is.” She’s now worked with her team for almost a decade. Of her current role as an Inside Sales Associate, Kalinay says, “The role is dynamic as I often get to work in different departments to satisfy customers’ holistic needs throughout the lease/loan life cycle. I really enjoy my current position as the role continues to evolve given the merger with Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company.”
Kalinay says she has an overwhelming passion to spend the rest of her career in the equipment finance industry, and to also encourage others to join in as well. Having recently completed the graduation requirements for her Wilkes University MBA, Kalinay is interested in getting more involved with the Foundation as it pertains to academic outreach. She says, “I think it's an industry that not many people in the commercial banking realm are familiar with or are even aware of.”
Noah O’Rourke, Student Intern, Arvest Equipment Finance
Noah O’Rourke was awarded a Foundation scholarship this year as a high school senior while working as an intern at Arvest Bank. In his internship role, he was responsible for a new initiative that identified three equipment types that could play a role in the future of the company’s four state footprint. His recommendations were so insightful that he captured the attention of Arvest Equipment Finance president Eric Bunnell and his ideas are being implemented. “The coolest part is seeing how my ideas could actually play a role in a company as large as Arvest Bank,” O’Rourke says. “During my internship, I fell in love with finance. I loved the numbers and statistics behind businesses and equipment.”
He credits his internship supervisors at Arvest, Sarah Uballez and Jenaleigh Lathrop, with mentoring him and pointing him toward the equipment finance field, saying, “I believe that Ms. Sarah and Ms. Jen gave me years of experience in just a short amount of time.”
O’Rourke will be staying close to home by attending the University of Arkansas as a freshman this fall, and will continue his internship at Arvest in the summers between school years. The Foundation scholarship was particularly beneficial for offsetting college costs since his father is a disabled military veteran. He says, “I am extremely grateful to have received this scholarship, and I can’t wait to share the news with my classmates in college. Hopefully, I can point more of our next generation of college students toward the equipment finance field! I think that the Foundation is an incredible resource that can help just about anyone in the business field.”
Connor Schwob, Collections and Credit Intern, KLC Financial
A 2023 Foundation scholarship recipient, Connor Schwob had never heard of the equipment finance industry before applying for the scholarship. He says, “The more I learned about the industry, the more I learned how vast and filled with opportunity it is. With so many different facets to explore, ranging from sales and marketing to risk management and financial analysis, it quickly became apparent that there are endless opportunities to pursue within this industry.” Now at KLC, he enjoys his position and working with everyone there, and says, “I love coming into the office every day as everyone is super friendly and always willing to give a helping hand. The people here have made my experience second to none.” He has engaged with students about the equipment finance industry and plans to do more in the future. With the goal of paying it forward, Schwob says, “I would love to share my experience with everyone and tell them about the industry!”
DON’T MISS OUT: The Foundation’s Student Internship Resource page provides a high-visibility platform to post your company’s available student internships.
Equipment Leasing & Foundation Scholarship recipients by the numbers:
$130,000: Total dollar amount of scholarships awarded to date
26: Total recipients since 2020
4: Currently working in equipment finance
