The Superior Express -

"I am the granddaughter of Margaret Breen and the daughter of Carl and Carla Waugh," Mankato resident, Jennifer Urbaniak said. "I also have a twin brother, Jeremy, who is a fire fighter in Olathe."

Beginning today, Thursday, Urbaniak will be the branch manager of Farmway Credit Union in Mankato. She graduated from Mankato High. Urbaniak went to Fort Hays State University two times, once to get her associate's degree and the other to obtain her bachelor's degree.

Urbaniak met her husband, Vincent, in high school. They have been married for 12 years. Urbaniak's hobbies include going to the lake, fishing, camping and other outdoor activities. She enjoys volunteering for Santa's Workshop.

Urbaniak chose to live in Mankato because this is where she grew up. Both of her parents live here and so does her husband's mother. Urbaniak enjoys living in a small town where you know pretty much everybody you come across.

Before coming to work full time at Farmway Credit Union in Mankato at the beginning of 2021, Urbaniak worked for approximately three years at the USD 107 district office, nine years in the loan department of a different bank, and one year at Farmway Credit Union in Beloit. "Sometimes change is hard, but good," Urbaniak said.

Urbaniak's responsibilities at Farmway are working with delinquent accounts and serving as loan officer.

COVID has created struggles at the credit union by making the employees come up with ways to serve their members with the lobby closed. Wearing masks also creates a struggle with communicating with others.

In her personal life, Urbaniak has had to make adjustments around COVID. One of the biggest obstacles is being more careful in what she does, especially with her husband who in the medical field. Urbaniak also finds it challenging to not be able to see family as often.

Her favorite and most enjoyable parts of her job are talking to people and the fact that each day is different. She said the hardest part about her job is keeping up with the changing regulations. Urbaniak also said since Mankato's Farmway office is just a branch location, they may not offer some services here as quickly as they do in Beloit.

"I'm inspired by my parents," Urbaniak said. "They have a hard work ethic."