Stephen F. Austin State University

Sophie Clakley of Carthage, a senior banking major in Stephen F. Austin State University's Rusche College of Business, was attending the Independent Bankers Association of Texas annual convention in September 2022 when she struck up a conversation with her future boss. C Welch, a certified fraud examiner and assistant deputy comptroller for midsize and community banks with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in Longview, was impressed with Clakley and offered her a financial internship at the OCC beginning in January 2023.