Grand Valley State University students are getting a hands-on look at career opportunities in banking thanks to a partnership with Mercantile Bank. Misti Stanton, Mercantile Bank’s vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion, worked to launch the Mentoring, Aspiring, Preparing (MAP) program at Grand Valley.  

MAP aims to close opportunity gaps and build a pipeline for students from historically marginalized communities to explore the banking industry. As part of the program, participants receive The Mercantile Bank Business Scholarship which provides $15,000 each year toward tuition.  “As a community bank and as a community partner, it is important to make sure that we are pouring back into citizens of the community where we feel like it aligns with our mission, vision, and goals as an organization,” Stanton shared.  

Before working at Mercantile Bank, Stanton spent 25 years in K-12 education. “A lot of my expertise and my passion is helping the younger generation find career options in different spaces,” she said. “We found that while a lot of students might have a math or a business or finance background – or even IT or marketing – they were not necessarily zeroing in on banking as a career choice.” Stanton also noted that if she had had something like the MAP program, "I think my journey would have been a lot smoother.”  

Hands-on Learning 
In addition to the scholarship, the participating students get a paid internship through the bank, rotating quarterly through different departments and gaining valuable real-world experience as they prepare to enter the workforce.   

Nadia Miller, Class of 2025, a business administration major in the first MAP cohort, said she has already learned a lot from this experience. “Last year I was in the mortgage department. I didn't know very much about the inner workings of a mortgage. To see how many hands touch a loan before everything is finally settled was very interesting,” she noted, adding, “I'd never have gotten the chance to see that had it not been for Mercantile.” 

Miller also shared the scholarship has allowed her to focus. “Not having to think about or come up with money for tuition is such a burden lifted off me and my family,” she said. “I don't have to have multiple jobs [and] it's been really great that I get to focus on working at Mercantile and learning and gaining new experiences.” 

Future Impact 
Looking ahead, Miller hopes her future includes a career where she can be creative and think outside the box. She has found that in the banking industry, which is an area she says she might not have looked into without the MAP program. “Creativity comes in all different forms,” she said. 

And that’s the goal of this program, to broaden students’ horizons to new career paths that offer a bright future. “We are giving them all of the information and tools and skills so no matter where they go – here or anywhere else – Mercantile Bank had a hand in their foundation,” explained Stanton. “I also want them to be able to reflect and say, ‘Somebody believed in me and helped me along the way.’” 

Stanton shared that she is proud of these students, as well as what the MAP program and partnership with GVSU demonstrates about Mercantile Bank’s values. “It makes me happy to work for an organization that cares enough about the future that they would create something to help build a pipeline for students to be successful. That speaks volumes of a culture of an organization.” 

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