A Douglas College student is getting a head start in her industry thanks to the skills and experience gained from her classes.

Financial Services Diploma student Elizabeth Schonewille took on the role as a credit officer with Westminster Leasing – the automotive and heavy equipment department of Westminster Savings Credit Union – following the completion of her diploma. Her next step is to complete her Bachelor of Business Administration – Financial Services at the College.

“With my experience in administration in the last eight months paired with my schooling at Douglas I was able to move into a lending position in our automotive leasing department. I am now a credit officer, I review applications for car loans and make decisions based on a variety of factors such as cash flow, net worth and beacon scores,” she said. “Douglas helped me with this placement by giving me the tools to analyze financial statements, review debt service ratios and determine cash flow.”

Schonewille first began at Westminster Savings in 2011 as a teller, and has steadily moved up because of her positive attitude, said manager Greg Oyenhart.

“What struck me about Elizabeth is that she is someone who is able to juggle with a lot on her plate. She brings a lot of energy to whatever she does,” Oyenhart said. “She exemplifies the kind of attitude we want on our team – willing to do anything and try anything. She’s shown a lot of initiative.”