Intern Spotlight: Alaina Howard
As the summer draws to an end, we bring recognition to our six incredible interns. Learn more about customer service representative intern Alaina Howard and her experiences with Farm Credit.
When dialing Farm Credit of Western Arkansas’s Benton office, you’ll likely be greeted by a smiling voice on the other end of the phone. That voice belongs to Alaina Howard, who carries a very important responsibility - ensuring our members are well taken care of and feel at home with Farm Credit. As a customer service representative intern, Alaina is in contact with many members each day, ensuring that no questions go unanswered and that members receive the best experience possible.
Alaina is a student at Arkansas Tech University, studying business administration. She holds an associate’s degree in accounting from Arkansas State University, which brought her to Farm Credit with the knowledge needed to assist with loans. Alaina is from Malvern, Arkansas, and enjoys reading, watching sci-fi movies, traveling, and spending time with her pets. She has two dogs, Pepe and Zeus, and a cat, Dawson.
In addition to serving members directly, Alaina also does important work behind the scenes. She verifies receipts and disbursements, inputs payments, and facilitates deposits and wires. She also assists in closing and booking loans, ensuring that the operations of her branch run smoothly.
Before joining Farm Credit of Western Arkansas, Alaina completed an internship with Siplast Inc., working with their cost accounting manager. There, she created purchase orders, transcribed instruction safety procedures, verified incoming shipments, and interacted with customers. Through those experiences, Alaina gained experience in production and the steps toward customer satisfaction within a business. She remarks that these skills have made the transition to Farm Credit smooth, giving her the experience needed to work diligently and effectively with our members.
While at Farm Credit, Alaina has gained valuable insight into the organization's operations.
“Farm Credit’s success lies in its different departments,” she said. “It’s incredible to see all the steps that must be completed for a loan to close. Each employee has an important job, and we all work together to create the best experience for our members.”
She also appreciates the work atmosphere at Farm Credit and says that her co-workers have been helpful in the onboarding process. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes so far,” she said. “But I’ve been encouraged by everyone and guided through each step of the way. I’ve already come so far and plan to continue advancing my knowledge of Farm Credit, being a CSR, and the agricultural lending world.”
Other News
