First Bank Celebrates Twinkal Patel During Women's History Month
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Twinkal Patel, First Bank’s Level III IT Specialist, wants to promote growth and education, inspiring others to achieve their goals. Twinkal was born and raised in India. Once she moved to the United States, she obtained her degree in Computer Science. Afterwards, she started her banking career as a manager in training and quickly became a branch manager. Her willingness to learn, along with the skills she has developed from her work experience have made her into the effective leader that she is today.
She has had the opportunity to work in several different roles throughout her career, all of which contributed to her knowledge of banking and understanding of different departments. There is nothing she can think of that she hasn’t done, and to her that’s the beauty of working at a community bank. Twinkal stated, “Although with our merger we’re not truly titled a community bank, we are community minded. That’s the key! Being community minded is what we need to always think about and look forward to on a daily basis.”
As she thought back to earlier years, she has known the most influential women in her life to be her mother and grandmother. “My mother taught me to be strong, independent, and confident,” stated Patel. For her, Twinkal’s grandmother was a great role model as her kindness, positivity, and compassion touched the lives of so many people. She is so blessed to have these two amazing women in her life, as they continue to motivate her and inspire her every single day.
When asked how she views her role as a woman in leadership, Twinkal reflected and stated, “It is very important to empower your team members, regardless of their gender.” She believes that as a leader, we should be establishing an equal and positive work environment, so that each of our team members feel that they are an essential part of the team. Furthermore, we need to always remember that leaders are chosen to set a vision; they encourage and achieve goals as a team, and lead by example to earn the respect of their team members.
Twinkal tells other women who want to take on more leadership roles that no dream is too big. “You can turn your dreams into reality through perseverance,” she stated. Patel feels that we should always be humble and hungry to learn from others because learning is endless. She has always been eager to jump in to new opportunities and is not afraid to learn something new or go outside the box. For her, learning never stops. Patel emphasized that if you are always looking to learn, you can achieve anything in life. Reminiscing on the words of her father, Twinkal recalled him always saying – “Success does not come as a nicely wrapped gift to you from someone else; it comes with hard work and dedication from yourself.”
In addition to her work and bringing out the best in her team members, Twinkal enjoys watching movies with her family. She believes that cinema provides family bonding, entertainment, and education all in one. She is a proud mother of two smart and amazing boys. Her family and friends provide strong support and encouragement to her, which has helped shape Patel into the person she is today.
