Credit Risk Analyst
State Farm Bank, Financial Cards Division, Bloomington
Sebastian grew up in South America. At ISU he had a second major in Economics and a French minor, and was vice president of Financial Management Association.
He is pictured at the State Farm Bank headquarters.
Area of Finance specialization: Financial Institutions Management
Hometown: La Paz, Bolivia
FIL 370 Educational Investment Fund, which required strong analytical skills and gave me valuable experience in making oral and written presentations. It brings real world professional responsibility, such as taking accountability for your decisions and actions, into the classroom setting.
International House events, such as the International Fair. I met most of my ISU friends through International House, and most importantly it is where I met my wife, who got her MBA from Illinois State and now works for General Electric. So that is my fondest memory. Another fond memory was being an officer in Financial Management Association, with its challenge of organizing good events and getting busy students to participate.
I manage collections and recoveries for State Farm Bank's credit card department. We have more than 15,000 accounts, with borrowings that total in the millions of dollars each month. My job is to oversee the performance of four outsourced companies that collect on our delinquent accounts. Much of the specific knowledge for what I do has to be acquired on the job, but my finance course work, and especially the individual attention I got from many professors, helped me build an understanding of risk and the financial markets for a rewarding professional career. Extracurricular activities like FMA helped me develop leadership skill, which is constantly put to work when I have to synchronize people's efforts to efficiently implement projects.
Illinois State has a great Finance program. Make the most of the experience by visiting your professors: they try to be accessible, they want to help you, and they can be a good starting point for finding internships and jobs. Stop by to talk with them about classes, or just to talk informally. Also get the most from your time on campus by preparing for today's information economy; take classes that increase your knowledge of technology, from spreadsheets to higher powered analytics.
