Lia Marie Rosario

I attribute all my success to God. I'm a big believer, and I really do trust in God fully for where He's taken me in life. I hope other people are able to find God and put their trust in Him and see where it could take them, because I wouldn't be anywhere without Him. But other than that, I think it's also my drive and always wanting to do better. I take accountability and I'm a go-getter. I'm never comfortable with anything. I constantly want more, and I feel like as long as you have that attitude, then there really isn't anything you can't get or achieve.

When I first started, one of my mentors in the program that got me into the bank told me that feedback is a gift. You shouldn't take feedback as some type of attack or something that you don't want to hear. You should always receive it as a gift, because it's a way for you to grow, know ways that you can improve, or know where you're doing well. It's always good to ask for feedback in whatever you're doing to kind of shape where you're headed.

My best advice to women trying to break into a banking career or just breaking into big firms on the business side, sales, anything of that sort, is that networking is key. Sometimes it's not about what you know, it's also about who you know, and just putting yourself out there. I was always a pretty anxious person, but sometimes you just have to do it scared, do it afraid, as cliche as that sounds. You just have to go for it, and you're gonna see benefit come out of it, because you're stepping out of your comfort zone, meeting new people, you're putting yourself out there, you're sharpening your skills. And everything's just gonna fall right into place.

I think the biggest challenge in banking right now is AI. A lot of bankers have asked whether these different things can help us do our job easier and faster, but are we gonna have our role in 5 years? That's probably the most questionable thing industry-wise. Fraud for clients is also a concern. As for opportunities, I would say more modernization and automation. I feel like a lot of systems are still outdated. We're still printing out documents to sign with clients, and a lot of things could be done a lot faster and a lot more improved and new. I think the industry does well with that, but I feel like that's definitely something that can always be worked on so we don't get left behind.

The values most important to me are integrity, taking accountability, understanding, and showing up for people. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile. I'm always known for having a good attitude and a smile. My manager says that even if I don't know everything, I always show up with a good attitude and a good smile. Those are the type of people that people want to work with. You learn everything else along the way, but showing up, being present, being intentional, and having a good attitude can make all the difference.