Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González / Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas — Julian Alvarez, executive vice president and director of community relations at Lone Star National Bank, said the Bank On INT internship program is helping expose students to careers in banking while highlighting the talent already present in South Texas.
Alvarez spoke at the June 5, 2026, memorandum of understanding signing ceremony that launched the second year of the Bank On INT paid internship program. The initiative is a partnership among the City of Edinburg, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation (EEDC), the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), and regional banking institutions.
Reflecting on the program’s first year, Alvarez said participating banks have gained valuable insights from the students selected for the internships.
“One of the things we realized through our interns is the wealth of knowledge these young adults bring,” Alvarez said. “They talk to us about Bitcoin, mining, AI, and other topics I might never have been exposed to otherwise.”
Alvarez said the experience demonstrated the strength of the region’s emerging workforce.
“These young men and women are incredibly bright, and we’re fortunate to have such talent here in South Texas,” he said.
Alvarez also discussed the need for greater financial literacy education and increased awareness of banking careers before students reach college. He said high schools offer programs in several skilled trades but generally do not provide pathways focused on financial services.
“There are no teller programs in our high schools, no mortgage lending programs, and those career pathways are generally absent from our industry-based certifications,” Alvarez said. “As a result, students have limited exposure to the wide range of opportunities available in the financial services industry.”
He expressed hope that future educational initiatives will introduce students to banking careers earlier and help them understand the variety of professional opportunities available within the industry.
Dr. Giorgio Gotti, dean of the UTRGV Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, said partnerships such as Bank On INT help connect academic learning with workforce needs while creating opportunities for students to develop professionally before graduation.
“We are committed to expand this kind of experiential learning so that every student has the opportunity to test the knowledge they learn in class, build confidence, develop a network, and understand the expectations of the workplace before they graduate,” Gotti said.
Alvarez also emphasized the importance of community banking institutions participating in the initiative and said local banks are committed to developing future talent within the Rio Grande Valley.
“If it’s one thing that we’re going to get out of this, it’s that we’re going to learn as much from our young talent as they’re learning from us,” Alvarez said.
The Bank On INT program provides paid internships for undergraduate students interested in banking and financial services. Organizers describe the initiative as a workforce development effort designed to strengthen the local talent pipeline and create career opportunities within the Rio Grande Valley.
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