From Classroom to Career: TAMIU Banking Academy Student Gains Hands-On Experience Through Vantage Bank Internship
A finance student at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) is translating classroom learning into professional and regional impact after completing a competitive Summer 2025 internship with Vantage Bank.
Jose Bernus, a finance major in the A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business and a participant in TAMIU’s Banking Academy, was selected for the Vantage Bank Summer Internship Program, where he gained hands-on exposure to banking operations while contributing to projects with direct relevance to lending strategy and market analysis. The experience reflects the Banking Academy’s focus on connecting academic training with real-world professional practice through structured industry partnerships, including organizations represented on the Banking Academy Advisory Council.
Motivated to better understand how analytical concepts translate beyond the classroom, Bernus sought an internship that would challenge his technical skills in a professional setting.
“I knew I enjoyed numbers and analysis, but I didn’t yet understand how those skills translated into day-to-day work,” Bernus said, “The Banking Academy has helped me see how what we learn in class applies directly to the work banks are doing.”
Early in the internship, Bernus conducted market research and developed an interactive Power BI dashboard designed to identify underserved lending opportunities. The project required synthesizing complex datasets, creating intuitive visualizations, and presenting insights to bank leadership.
“It was intimidating at first,” Bernus said, “But I adapted quickly and delivered a prototype the team genuinely valued. That experience gave me a new level of confidence.”
As part of the program, Bernus traveled to Vantage Bank’s headquarters to meet a cohort of more than 20 interns from across Texas. As the only intern from TAMIU and Laredo, he gained insight into how banking functions as an integrated, cross-departmental system.
“I realized how interconnected everything is inside a bank,” he said. “It helped me understand where analytical skills really add value.”
Faculty engagement also played an important role in Bernus’ preparation. He highlighted Dr. Jacqueline Kelly’s Professional Communication course as particularly impactful, noting its emphasis on networking, executive presence, and structured interaction with industry professionals—reflecting the Sanchez School’s broader approach to integrating career readiness into the curriculum.
Dr. Luis Perez-Batres, Dean of the Sanchez School of Business, emphasized that Bernus’ experience reflects the intentional design of the Banking Academy as a workforce-development pipeline.
“Jose’s success at Vantage Bank exemplifies what happens when academia and industry are intentionally connected,” Perez-Batres said, “We are proud of Jose and grateful to Vantage Bank for its partnership and commitment to talent development across South Texas.”
As of February 2026, Bernus learned that the dashboard he developed continued to be positively referenced in internal discussions at the bank, underscoring its practical value.
David E. Puig, Executive Vice President and Laredo & El Paso Market President at Vantage Bank, praised Bernus’ contributions.
“The dashboard Jose developed provided actionable insights that supported data-driven lending decisions,” Puig said, “Partnerships with institutions like TAMIU and programs such as the Banking Academy are essential to developing future banking professionals.”
Bernus described the internship as a defining step that provided clarity and momentum toward a career in banking and finance.
To learn more about the TAMIU Banking Academy, contact Leonela Preciado, Academy program manager, at 956.326.2502 or by email at leonela.preciado@tamiu.edu.
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