Kevin and Jordan Ile Are Young UWSP Alumni Who Give Back

By Kim Westerman

When Kevin Ile, (BS’19 and MBA ’20) and Jordan Stefanik (BS’19 and MS ’21) met as freshman at Stevens Point in 2015, little did they know they’d have a lifetime bond. They played basketball together, watched movies at the theater in the Dreyfus University Center, went rock climbing, and, eventually, graduated together in 2019. The couple were married in 2020 and now have a two-year-old son and are currently in the process of building their own home.

Kevin just started a new role as a market president for Greenwoods State Bank. He previously worked as a Vice President of Commercial Banking for Peoples State Bank in Oregon, Wisconsin, where he helped lead the bank’s lending presence in the Dane County area and enjoyed working closely with business owners and executives to grow their businesses or venture into new industries. Jordan is teaching first grade at Albany School District in Albany, Wisconsin after a career shift from speech-language pathology to education. She loves the satisfaction of seeing children take steps in their learning journeys at a young age.

Once UWSP had launched this dynamic duo into their respective careers, they both agreed that they wanted to do something to give back to the institution where their lives together had begun. Kevin says, “Shortly after we began our careers, we both felt called to reciprocate the blessings and support that we had received in our undergraduate and graduate studies. It felt natural to return the gratitude by deciding to fund a scholarship for a student each spring.”

The couple established the Kevin and Jordan Ile Scholarship, offered through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Sentry School of Business and Economics, to help students majoring in finance with a preference for those with financial need. Brooke Peterson, an Accounting and Finance Major minoring in Data Analytics, was awarded this scholarship last year. Peterson, who is currently vice president of the Accounting Club, treasurer of the Investment Club, and a member of Toastmasters, is also working at Sentry Insurance as a co-op in the Treasury Services Department. She says she’s grateful for the Kevin and Jordan Ile Scholarship’s investment in her future.

Kevin adds, “By choosing UWSP, Jordan and I have been able to leverage a large alumni network, take advantage of connections we made with faculty and staff after graduation, and grow networks that include friends and colleagues alike who have remained close for many years.”

Do they have any advice for incoming Pointers? Indeed, they do. “We would challenge them to place an importance on networking and internships. Investing time in these two areas proved meaningful to us as professionals fresh out of college and continues to as we get more established in our careers.

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