Being a Floating Sales and Service Manager isnโt ideal for everyone; walking into a new environment or work culture each day would be overwhelming for most. Not for Cherry Willyono, a first generation Indonesian American โ sheโs no stranger to adapting to a new environment or culture.
At age 17, Cherry and her mom left everything behind in their hometown of Surabaya, Indonesia in search of a new beginning. As expected, she experienced a big culture shock upon settling in the United States. Knowing very little English made the transition more difficult, too.
Still being a teenager, what stood out to Cherry the most in her new country was the sense of independence and autonomy from oneโs parents. โItโs very different here from where I grew up when it comes to respecting and obeying your parents. If my parents told me to do something, I did it no matter how demanding or traditional it was,โ she recalls.
One thing her parents were right about, though, is influencing her to earn a business degree. Without their input, she may have never ended up in banking.
Like what seems to be a common theme among bankers, Cherry didnโt set out to be one. She did, however, idealize the problem-solving and multi-tasking skills that bankers seem to possess. โI just thought, โI want to do thatโโ she says, and the rest is history. Celebrating her 9th anniversary at Penn Community Bank this year, she couldnโt imagine it any other way.
As an immigrant, Cherry has a unique perspective on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in banking. She says itโs all about having people with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds when it comes to formulating an idea or product and having different thoughts on approaching a problem. Everyone has their own way of approaching something and it is greatly influenced by more than just your career background.
Cherry has always felt comfortable embracing her culture at Penn Community Bank. In fact, she met her โtravel buddy,โ Carole, through work and invited her on a month-long trip to Indonesia, where Cherry fully immersed Carole into her culture as they went โisland hopping.โ The pair recently returned from a trip to Hawaii and they canโt wait to see where their next adventure takes them!
โItโs also the little things, like when an Asian customer walks in the branch and comes directly to me for assistance. Itโs nice to know that they find comfort in banking with us by having someone they can relate to โ someone that looks like them. And, itโs like weโre friends already!โ Cherry says.
During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Cherry shares that she will be reflecting on the value of accepting people for who they are, and encouraging others to do the same. โWhether itโs a customer, a coworker, or a stranger, treating every person you meet with respect should be a fundamental of everyoneโs life,โ she says.
