A shared passion for community: Meet Chiquita and Benjamin

At Ascendium, our goal is to champion opportunity for learners from low-income backgrounds. This work could not be done without the dedication of a fantastic group of employees. Many Ascendium employees have interesting and inspiring journeys that motivated them to work at Ascendium. We invited several employees to share their experiences and how they apply the mission of Ascendium to their lives and work. Here are Chiquita and Benjamin’s stories!  

Chiquita

Time at Ascendium: 15 years

Chiquita Hall, a supervisor in the repayment solutions department, accepted a position at Ascendium as soon as it was offered to her because of our reputation for being such a good place to work. After spending more time in her role here, she came to realize that our reputation regarding our positive atmosphere was true. She had never worked at a company that cared more about its employees. That atmosphere played a large role in her decision to spend fifteen years with us!

Chiquita Hall – Repayment Solutions Supervisor

Chiquita’s experience growing up in Chicago, Illinois, where learners from low-income backgrounds often have less opportunities or resources, heavily influenced her decision to work here. She observed how a lack of support can have negative effects throughout a person’s entire life and knew that things could have turned out differently if they had more help. This examination is what has primarily influenced her passion for her work today.

The work that Chiquita does at Ascendium has inspired her to become more involved in her community, specifically as a youth advocate in her school district. Chiquita is both a member of the Parent Leadership Council and a board member of a school community organization. Her influence within both groups has allowed her to create equality in kids’ learning experiences within the district.

Chiquita stated, “My favorite thing about working for Ascendium is the people I work with, including our amazing leadership.” According to Chiquita, they make the job positive and fun!

Benjamin

Time at Ascendium: Nine years

Benjamin, an associate counsel at Ascendium, was motivated to pursue a career at Ascendium due to his desire to do interesting and important work. Put simply, he wanted to “use his powers for good.” In law school, Benjamin focused specifically on nonprofit, corporate, and consumer protection law, so this job aligned with his expertise well. For the last nine years, he’s been involved in a mix of the legal, compliance, and risk analysis spheres.

Benjamin Lee – Associate Counsel at Ascendium

Seeing firsthand how education can make a difference in someone’s life has fueled Benjamin’s passion for education accessibility. Growing to better understand the systematic advantages that he has benefited from has also driven his commitment to helping learners from low-income backgrounds achieve their goals.

The work that Benjamin contributes to Ascendium has motivated him to give back by becoming more involved with his community! He gives back by volunteering at his daughter’s school, donating blood, and making donations to local groups.

Benjamin enjoys working at Ascendium for many reasons. He likes getting to cooperate with a vast number of different people every day, including internal and external attorneys, financial employees, and borrowers. He commented, “Collaborating to solve problems is rewarding, and there is always something new and interesting coming across my desk. I genuinely look forward to work each day.”

 Chiquita and Benjamin, thank you so much for sharing your stories! Ascendium truly appreciates your unique experiences and contributions to our team!