Bite of Reality volunteers Bite of Reality volunteers from Portland-area credit unions USAgencies CU, Providence FCU, Point West CU, Consolidated Community CU, OnPoint Community CU and Cutting Edge CU (and me, second from left), pose for a group photo.

Most of us can agree that school doesn't necessarily prepare us for the real world. Have you seen that meme with a picture of a recorder musical instrument, that says something to the effect of, "School never taught us how to do our taxes, but at least it taught us this … my life is in shambles but at least I know how to play 'Hot Cross Buns' on the recorder!" Yeah, exactly.

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Natasha Chilingerian

Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.