Meet Caterina - Heart, Family & a Little Scrapbooking at USF Credit Union

If you’ve been following our Humans in Finance series, you already know it isn’t really about banking.

It’s about the people who make USF Credit Union what it is.

Today, meet Caterina, a leader at our Sarasota branch who believes the best way to serve members is pretty simple: treat them like family.

Family Comes First

For Caterina, the way she treats USF CU members starts with a value that runs deep.

“Family is everything to me,” she says. “When the members come in the door, they’re our family.”

That means treating every person who walks into the Sarasota branch with the same care she would give her own mom, brother or another loved one.

“And that’s how I interact with the members,” Caterina says. “That’s exactly how this team, every single one of them, interacts with the members.”

It’s more than a philosophy. It’s what she believes makes the Sarasota branch feel different.

Why USF USF Credit Union?

Caterina didn’t just happen to find her way to USF Credit Union.  She was looking for a place that matched what mattered to her.

“I love USF Credit Union,” she says. “Before I started here, I was looking for a credit union that aligned with my core values, and that’s what I found at USF from day one.”

Those values show up in the way she approaches her work every day: with empathy, patience and a genuine desire to help.

What Makes a Great Day?

For Caterina, a great day isn’t measured by how many people walk through the door.

It’s measured by whether the team was able to make a difference.

“We’re here to help our members every way we can and to educate them the best that we can,” she says. “Every day we can help somebody is a great day for us.”

Sometimes that help can have a very real financial impact.

Caterina thinks about the members who are able to refinance and save 2%, 3% or 4% on their interest rate. Lowering a payment can free up money for something else in their lives - and create a little more breathing room.

“That financial freedom for some people,” she says, “I mean, that’s what we do.”

Sometimes, You Just Need Someone to Listen

But helping members isn’t always about finding the right financial solution.  Sometimes, it’s simply about being there.

Caterina says members occasionally come into the branch carrying more than a banking question.

“Sometimes the member just comes in and they need to vent about something,” she says.

In those moments, the branch can become something more than a place to conduct business. It can be a safe space where someone feels comfortable talking.

“You almost become that therapist for them,” Caterina says. “You just allow them to have that opportunity, that safe space to be able to speak to you.”

And she makes one thing clear: members aren’t numbers. 

That kind of interaction is why Caterina can leave work with a smile.

“You know that you’ve been there for them,” she says.

What Gets Her Out of Bed?

Caterina says one of her favorite things about USF Credit Union is being surrounded by people who genuinely care about others.

“I absolutely love all the people that we work with,” she says. “There’s so many people with such huge hearts that work here.”

She sees those people showing up in the community, helping others and finding ways to make a difference.

One Thing Caterina Tries to Do Every Day

Her approach is pretty straightforward.

“I just come into work every day with my heart and treat everybody the way I want to be treated,” she says.

For Caterina, that means treating people like family.

Life Outside the Branch

There’s also a side of Caterina that members might not expect.

She loves to scrapbook.

“I actually love scrapbooking, I doubt people know that about me,” she says.

She’s been doing it for years and has created some pretty amazing things along the way.

It’s a fitting hobby for someone who puts so much value on family and memories. After all, scrapbooks are really about capturing the people and moments that matter.

What Would Caterina Put on a Billboard?

Her answer comes back to the same idea that shapes everything she does.

“I continuously want people to feel like they’re family.”

So if Caterina had a billboard, the message would be simple:

“If you want to feel like family, come to USF Credit Union.”