"travel" Articles

Pursuing Your Passion Hi Everybody,

We’re already well into the second month of 2023, where does the time go? This February, I’ve found myself considering the things that I am passionate about, both inside and outside of the workplace. Of course, my family and my work are my most important priorities. But I also have an exciting passion that you may not know about: I love to travel.

When I was young, my family rarely traveled—although this never stopped me from dreaming about the day that I could visit new and exciting places. I devoured history books and loved to research picturesque locations like Alaska and Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. My family’s first trip was from our home in upstate New York to the Canadian part of Niagara Falls when I was twelve. Our second trip was a drive to Florida when I was 14 (back then, plane rides were not as popular as they are now!).

While these domestic trips were filled with good memories, I was able to fulfill my real, adventurous travel goals when I joined the Marine Corps. after finishing high school. My first duty station was in Japan, where I climbed Mt. Fuji not once, but twice! From there, I had opportunities to explore lots of countries in the region, including South Korea and the Philippines. I was captivated by exploring beautiful new places and experiencing exciting new cultures.

When I left the Marines, I originally planned to purchase a motorcycle and visit every country in the world. Upon mapping this out and discovering it would take me around 15 years to do so, I understood that this plan would interfere with my desire to start a family. Instead, I set out to find a career that would help feed my travelling bug.

I entered the financial service industry with the intention to travel, and my career has been immensely fulfilling ever since. Whether I am traveling to meet with other credit union leaders and attend conferences or management training, I am always excited to visit new places, local and domestic, or afar.

I have been to 48 states in the U.S. and have plans to visit my last two states—Hawaii and Idaho—this year. I’ve also visited 28 countries and plan to visit even more!

My father, who was aware of my travel aspirations, gave me some great financial advice after I had paid off my first car loan. He advised me to continue making that same payment but to place the money into a savings account instead. I eventually decided to use the saved money to fund my passion for travel. To this day, it is one of the most important pieces of financial advice that I have ever been given, along with creating a budget to manage my personal finances.

Discovering and pursuing your passion is important. My teammates at MVCU and I care deeply about the happiness of all of our members. We work hard to offer you a variety of financial services that can improve the quality of your life. We are here to help you with the process of building your savings, managing your money efficiently and pursuing what you feel passionate about.

I encourage all of you to consider your passions. Whether that involves your career, a personal endeavor or a hobby, the MVCU team is ready to help you with all of your financial needs. So, start planning to achieve what you love today!

And as always, thank you, for being a part of this credit union—this community—that I am so passionate about. It is the teammates and members that make MVCU a wonderful place to work and bank.

Sincerely,

Photo above: My son John and I touring the New Zealand movie set from The Lord of the Rings in 2019. The landscapes were amazing! At MVCU, we are passionate about helping our members. So much so, we have created our own passion statement that we strive to embody every day:

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