For this week’s Employee Spotlight Series, we are highlighting Serina Jackson! Serina is an Auditor and has been a part of the SpendMend team for about two years. When asked why she looks forward to coming to work every day, she stated, “I look forward to working with my pod every day and getting to collaborate and help our clients. I might be biased, but I think the Black Pod is the funniest and most supportive pod, so I really enjoy working with them.” It was great getting to know Serina outside SpendMend and learning more about her hobbies and passions. Serina grew up in Comstock Park, MI, and lives in Wyoming, MI. She attended Ferris State University and received her bachelor’s degree in accounting! She studied accounting because she has always excelled in math and numbers. A fun fact about Serina is that she enjoys traveling. She has visited Germany, South Africa, Canada, and about half the states! Her favorite part about traveling is seeing the different cultures, landmarks, and terrain, and getting away from what she sees daily. Her next bucket list destination is Japan! Check out the full interview below to learn more about Serina’s traveling experiences. During her free time, Serina likes playing tennis with her fiancé! She enjoys playing because it doesn’t involve too much running, but it still feels like a good workout. The most challenging part of tennis for her is aiming and keeping the ball in bounds. When asked what advice she would give to a beginner who wants to learn to play tennis, she stated, “I think the only advice I would give from a novice like me is just to not get too caught up in the rules and to just hit the ball back and forth, I think it takes a lot of practice to be good, and tennis is notoriously difficult!” Another hobby Serina likes to do is crafting! She recently crafted her own wedding florals and is very proud of how they turned out. Assembling her bouquets was intimidating, but she thought they turned out pretty and personal for the big day! Serina likes all different types of crafting, such as using her Cricut, cross-stitching, and painting. She also has made custom t-shirts and onesies, which take a lot of time and patience!
Serina does a fantastic job as an Auditor. We asked Jacob Schinkai, Audit Supervisor, about Serina, and he said, “Serina is a fantastic team player and is always willing to help with whatever project I throw her way. And her attention to detail with everything is outstanding – everything is always spot on! She makes my life 10x easier every day.” Thank you for all your hard work, Serina!
Interview with Serina:
What is your role at SpendMend?
Auditor
How long have you been with SpendMend?
A little over two years.
How did you first learn about SpendMend?
I found SpendMend while scouring Indeed for my first “big girl” job.
What three words would you use to describe SpendMend?
Innovative, Collaborative, Helpful
Where are you located/from?
I grew up in Comstock Park, MI, but we currently live in Wyoming, MI.
Where did you go for higher education?
I went to Ferris State University, and I have my bachelor’s in accountancy.
What did you study and why?
I knew I would probably end up in business somewhere, so I eventually decided to study accounting because I’ve always excelled in math and numbers, and that just made the most sense for me.
Why do you look forward to coming to work?
I look forward to working with my pod every day and getting to collaborate and help our clients. I might be biased but I think the Black Pod is the funniest and most supportive pod, so I really enjoy working with them.
Before working at SpendMend, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
I only had a couple jobs before SpendMend, but I really loved working at Joann Fabrics and learning about everyone’s different crafts and projects every day.
What is one fun fact about you?
A fun fact about me is that I really enjoy traveling. I have been to Germany, South Africa, Canada, and about half the states.
What do you enjoy the most about traveling?
I enjoy seeing different cultures, landmarks, and terrain and just getting away from what I see every day.
What state was your favorite to visit and why?
I thought about this for a while, and I don’t know if I can pick a favorite state. I love Michigan, I loved New York, California was great, and Florida is great, but I will say – one place that really sticks out to me as one of my favorites would have to be the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas.
What country was your favorite to visit and why?
I think I’d be remiss if I didn’t say South Africa has been my favorite country I’ve been to because it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and we got to see so much wildlife and learn a lot about life over there.
What is the next destination on your bucket list?
Our next big bucket list destination is Japan, my fiancé and I are pretty big nerds so seeing where a lot of that originates from would be really cool and it’s super pretty over there as well.
What type of music or podcasts do you listen to during the workday?
I don’t really listen to podcasts, but I do like to listen to pop or alternative music, especially The 1975, Cage the Elephant, and Taylor Swift, among many others.
Do you have any hobbies or participate in any activities outside of work?
My fiancé and I have recently taken up tennis, I also enjoy doing anything crafty, along with baking and hanging out with my cats.
What piqued your interest in playing tennis?
My fiancé is very athletic so he’s always trying to get me to play sports with him – we’ve found that we both really like badminton, but there aren’t really any parks or public spaces with badminton nets, so I guess tennis was our next best option. We also saw Challengers, and Zendaya makes anything look fun.
What do you like most about tennis and why?
I am not very athletic at all so it’s nice that it doesn’t involve a ton of running but it still feels like a good workout.
What is the most challenging about tennis?
I think the most challenging thing about tennis is aiming and trying to keep the ball in bounds and keep the rally going.
Any advice you would give to a beginner who wants to learn to play?
I think the only advice I would give from a novice like me is just to not get too caught up in the rules and to just hit the ball back and forth, I think it takes a lot of practice to be good and tennis is notoriously difficult.
When did your interest in crafts start?
I think I’ve always been a crafty person; I would say it’s in my genes if that’s possible.
What crafting project are you super proud of?
My most recent craft that I’m pretty proud of is our wedding florals – I bought wooden flowers for my wedding, so I had to dye them all to match our wedding colors and assemble the bouquets, which was quite daunting, but I think they’re super cute and super unique and personal.
What craft is the most difficult for you to do and why?
A craft I find difficult just because I am sort of a perfectionist is making custom t-shirts or onesies – I have a Cricut, so I can make the design, have it cut out the vinyl, and then iron it on, but it takes time and a lot of patience to get them to my liking.
What are your favorite crafts to make?
I enjoy using my Cricut (sometimes), I enjoy cross-stitching, and I like to paint – paint pouring is super fun and pretty easy.
Do you sell them or just for fun?
I’ve done so many different crafts, but I only had them for sale at one point when I was young at a craft sale.
Who do you interact with
Suppliers
Can you describe an interaction when you helped a client or a supplier that stands out in your mind?
The first thing that comes to mind is a recent interaction with Fresenius in which they issued a refund check and for whatever reason, it had to be reissued 3 times until our client received it. The contact was super helpful in trying to get it resolved and when I told her it was finally received – her response was “YEAH!!!!”. We were both so happy to finally clear the account.
What was the best compliment you’ve ever been paid by a client or supplier?
I can’t remember any specifically besides the usual niceties (which are always nice after dealing with a not-so-nice supplier).
What is the best part of serving the healthcare market?
I think the best part is that a lot of us have experience with hospitals or we know how important they are and to help them get money back that they can put into saving lives and whatnot feels good.
What has been your experience with SpendMend community service events?
I know that we do them, but I have not had the chance to participate in them.
Do you want to shout out a co-worker who has helped or inspired you at SpendMend?
Jacob Schinkai is someone I work very close with everyday so I’m incredibly thankful for him, but also Nick VanTuinen is someone I kind of started out with and I would not be the auditor that I am today without him. They are both great assets to our pod and SpendMend.
What advice do you have for prospective candidates who want to join the SpendMend team?
I think the biggest thing is to just give it a chance. I didn’t think I would be an auditor working within the healthcare industry but now I can’t imagine being anything else.
What has been your proudest accomplishment at SpendMend?
I think big claims is the obvious answer but I’m really proud of the knowledge that I have obtained since being here and how I know my job (Ardent Health) like the back of my hand.
What is something you’re looking forward to in the future at SpendMend?
I look forward to growing with my pod and continuing to see all of us and the company succeed.