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Molly Stram

Molly's Story

Molly is a graduate of Prairie du Chien and junior at UW-Whitewater, majoring in finance. She is one of the “4 Ms” and loves the feeling of family you get in small towns.

Molly loved growing up in Prairie. Her parents, grandparents, and most of her aunts, uncles, and cousins also live in the area so it’s really always been home.

Pictures of Molly

“At this point, I can’t imagine living anywhere other than Wisconsin — even moving to Whitewater was a big change for me! I just love our culture here.”

As a little girl, Molly remembers coming into Peoples State Bank regularly.

“My parents banked at more than one bank, but coming into Peoples was always my favorite because they would give me a sticker! Usually, I would pick a pretty princess one. Also, my aunt works here, so that made it even more fun. Nothing like having family ties everywhere you go!”

Molly was always impressed with the family atmosphere community banks hold. As a junior in high school, Molly began working as a student teller at Peoples State Bank. She was also the secretary and treasurer of the Political Science Club.

“On my first day, I was shown what we should do in the case of a robbery. I hadn’t thought of that aspect before, and it really freaked me out. I went home and told my mom I wasn’t sure if I was cut out for banking after all! But, knowing that they brought it up right away and were prepared in case something happened calmed me down.”

Molly has done great working at Peoples State Bank. She loves greeting customers by name and the feeling of community and family. Her experience inspired her to pursue a career in finance.

“After college, I want to continue in the banking industry. For me though, community banks are the only option. I can’t imagine working at a corporate bank where the focus is all on making sales. Banking shouldn’t be about sales; it should be about helping your customers find the best option for them.”

Even though it’s far from home, Molly has been thriving at UW-Whitewater. She is the VP of the Finance Organization on campus.

“This opportunity has been so great. I’ve learned a lot from projects we’ve done. We had a crowdfunding campaign for kids in Honduras who want to start hydroponic farming, run a campaign encouraging people to visit downtown Whitewater, and manage a “business,” as one of our members owns a drone and area farmers will hire us to do crop scouting. Last year, our organization raised $150,000 for local farmers!”

Molly also was on the presentation team at the organization’s nationals, Enactus. More than 200 schools attended. Even though this is only UW-Whitewater’s third year, they placed 32nd! It was a great experience, and she was even offered an internship with Edward Jones.   

“When I first moved to Whitewater, we talked about whether I needed to switch banks. Although banking close to the school might have been more convenient, I really didn’t want to switch. I love everyone at Peoples and wasn’t ready to make that change. Besides, I have the mobile app!”

Having the mobile banking app has come in handy at college.

“When the app came out, I was so excited to be the first to rate it — five stars, of course! Now, it assists me in very real ways. I pay the electricity at the house I share with four other girls. Each month they write me checks to pay me back. Thanks to mobile check deposit, it’s been easy to deposit those into my account. And it’s nice to check my balance anytime, since I don’t really keep a registry! When my checking account is getting low, I can make a quick transfer from savings.”

Molly also comes home one weekend a month to work at Peoples State Bank, get her laundry done, stock up on food, and spend time with her family, the 4 Ms: her parents, Mike and Missy, and her older sister, Megan.

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