GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Twenty-five student leaders stepped inside corporate headquarters and into their futures.
Staff at Lake Michigan Credit Union welcomed students from Mona Shores and Muskegon Heights High Schools for a full-day immersion in career readiness, financial literacy and professional development. The experience was made possible through The Village99’s Learners to Leaders program, which connects student leaders with transformative workforce opportunities and mentorship.
From the moment buses rolled in, the day moved with purpose. Students participated in a career panel featuring 10 diverse LMCU team members who shared honest insights about their paths to success. They toured multiple LMCU facilities, including the media studio, and gained a behind-the-scenes look at the organization’s operations.
The highlight for many students came during conversations around careers in photography, content creation and marketing. Touring LMCU’s media spaces and hearing directly from professionals who build brands, produce digital content and tell stories for a living opened eyes to possibilities they had not previously considered.
Throughout the afternoon, students rotated through professional headshot sessions, built LinkedIn profiles and sharpened interviewing skills with LMCU’s human resources team. Lunch doubled as a networking opportunity, allowing students to connect one-on-one with professionals and ask candid questions about careers, internships and next steps.
LMCU leaders closed the day by outlining scholarship opportunities, tuition assistance, part-time teller roles and internship pathways — practical bridges between today’s classroom and tomorrow’s career.
Organizers say this is exactly what Learners to Leaders is designed to do: create exposure, build confidence and expand what students believe is possible. With LMCU committing top employees to mentor and guide participants, supporters believe the partnership could significantly grow the program’s impact in West Michigan.
