Aldina Sejdovic ’11 grew up in Dresden, Germany and now leads a team at Lake Michigan Credit Union as a Branch Manager with her passion for helping people. She started as a Teller and took classes at Davenport to help advance her career. Aldina says, “The more DU classes I took, the more I realized what I wanted to do with my life – lead and work with people.” Read more about Aldina and her journey below.

Q & A with Aldina

Tell us about yourself, Aldina!

I was born in Serbia and grew up in Dresden, Germany. My family and I moved to the United States in July 2001 and settled in Grand Rapids. After high school, I knew I wanted to go to college, but didn’t know what I wanted to do. I enrolled at GRCC, where I pursued a general studies degree. A few years later, I began taking classes at Davenport as a dual-enrolled student. The more DU classes I took, the more I realized what I wanted to do with my life – lead and work with people. Today, I am using what I learned at Davenport to lead an awesome staff as a Branch Manager at Lake Michigan Credit Union.

What was your experience like at DU?

I felt like I belonged at Davenport. As a full-time employee, I found the classes relevant to my work-life and they were extremely convenient. The professors actually cared about me as a person. I had a health scare in 2010 and missed a lot of school. I remember my accounting professor saying, “Your health is most important. When you feel better, turn your stuff in. We will get through this together.” I wasn’t just a number, but a valued student who they cared about.

In a nutshell, what do you do?

I have been an employee at LMCU for more than 10 years. Recently, I was promoted to manage the Lake Michigan Drive office at Lake Michigan Credit Union. My job is to help members reach their financial goals by providing them excellent products and services. Knowing that I am making a difference in people’s lives by helping them with their finances – either helping them pay off a student loan, finance their first car, or consolidate their payments to a better financial well being  – is extremely rewarding to me.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about people. I love leading my staff and helping them reach their personal and professional goals by being their motivator and cheerleader! I also enjoy serving people in our community by volunteering to clean up parks or reading to children at the local elementary. Building strong relationships in and out of the office is really important to me.

What do you do when you are not working?

I spend time with my daughter, Layla. She is the light of my life. I also have a YouTube channel. I make videos about fashion, make-up, organization, budgeting and saving people money by shopping smart!