SFSU students gain career experience through new credit union partnership

Paid internships with San Francisco Federal immerses SFSU students with real-word experiences in the financial services industry

When San Francisco State University student Jacob Martin started his summer internship at San Francisco Federal Credit Union, he had the opportunity to see how what he was learning in class translated to the workplace.

Working as a commercial and business services intern, Martin joined the credit union’s commercial lending and credit administration team. The experience gave him a closer look at the financial services industry and, he said, more confidence about entering the job market after graduation.

Martin was among 10 SFSU students who spent the summer working at San Francisco Federal as part of a new partnership between the two institutions. The paid internship program places undergraduate students in positions throughout the credit union, giving them professional experience while they are still completing their degrees.

“In the context of the current job market for new college graduates in 2026, this internship has helped make my career goals feel more achievable by giving me relevant, real-world experience and a better understanding of the opportunities available in the financial services industry,” Martin said.

Martin also found himself drawing directly from SFSU coursework.

“In the Commercial and Business Services Department, I worked with the commercial lending and credit administration team, which allowed me to directly apply concepts and knowledge related to fixed income products and portfolio risk that I learned at San Francisco State,” Martin said.

This summer, SFSU students worked in marketing, information technology, digital banking, business development, finance, risk and compliance and people and culture. Interns worked with San Francisco Federal supervisors and professional mentors and presented final projects to San Francisco Federal leaders in August.

Join a professional team

For Connor Jiang, an internship in information technology meant handling the kinds of problems that come up every day in a working IT department.

“One of the most rewarding parts of my internship was directly assisting employees with day-to-day technical issues across hardware, software and account access,” Jiang said. “This gave me a chance to apply what I studied in my courses at San Francisco State like operating systems, networking and systematic troubleshooting and translate that theoretical knowledge into IT support and customer service.”

Ryan Kelly Alita, who interned with San Francisco Federal’s People and Culture team, said students were trusted with substantive work early in their internships.

“You will learn a lot immediately and will own your own projects by the end of the first week,” Alita said. “It is a great entry-level experience for interns in finance, IT, marketing, HR and business. I have seen a ton of great projects from experienced young talent.”

Part of the career plan

The partnership is part of a broader SFSU effort to give students more opportunities to gain professional experience before they graduate and to strengthen connections with Bay Area employers.

“The partnership supports our commitment to providing students with applied learning experiences that complement their academic studies and prepare them to thrive after graduation,” said Inés Barbosa, SFSU assistant vice president for workforce partnerships. “By connecting students with employers that value mentorship, innovation and community engagement, the University continues to expand opportunities for students to launch meaningful careers while meeting the workforce needs of the region.”

For San Francisco Federal, hosting SFSU students also provides an opportunity to introduce them to a financial services industry that includes jobs in technology, marketing, human resources and other areas beyond traditional banking and finance.

“The internship program reflects both organizations’ shared commitment to expanding educational opportunity, strengthening the regional workforce and investing in the Bay Area community,” said Ray Shams, president and CEO of San Francisco Federal. “It also gives SFSU students an inside look at an industry they may not have previously considered while helping San Francisco Federal connect with a diverse pool of emerging talent.”

SFSU and San Francisco Federal plan to build on the program and create additional opportunities for students. For Martin and his fellow interns, the partnership has already provided something more immediate: a chance to take what they have learned at SFSU and find out what they can do with it.

San Francisco Federal and San Francisco State University have partnered since September 2024 on athletics sponsorship, scholarships, financial education and career readiness programming, a collaboration marked in March 2026 by the naming of the San Francisco Federal Credit Union Gymnasium and since expanded to include a paid student internship program.

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