Royal Credit Union internship gives UW-Stout grad student opportunity to apply skills in data

M.S. applied computer science student finds workplaces experience aligns with coursework

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 29, 2026

Menomonie, Wis. – A yearlong business intelligence internship at Royal Credit Union, one of Wisconsin’s largest financial institutions, has helped a University of Wisconsin-Stout applied computer science graduate student gain confidence and skill in both data engineering and machine learning.

“It’s been a fun experience. I’m really grateful,” said Justin George, who expects to receive his M.S. applied computer science degree in May. “This internship has been the best part of my Stout experience so far.”

George began his business intelligence internship last May at the Eau Claire-based financial institution, which serves 330,000 members through 28 branches in western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. Now in its third semester, George’s internship has provided an opportunity for him to apply what he’s learned through his degree program at Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.  

Professor Keith Wojciechowski of UW-Stout’s Department of Math, Statistics and Computer Science, who encouraged George to pursue the internship, praised the graduate student for seizing the opportunity and making it a successful experience.

“One of the things that we emphasized and that he was very eager to do was to get an internship where he could apply those skills and learn on the job,” Wojciechowski said.

Student’s work makes business data visual

UW-Stout’s M.S. applied computer science program provides professionals in a wide range of occupations a pathway to deepen their knowledge, skills and experience with computer systems that automate tasks, analyze data and create new workflows. Through the program, George has been able to focus on topics that interest him, such as data visualization and machine learning, both of which have played a role in his Royal internship.

As part of the internship, George has created data models that take data collected by Royal and displays it in visual dashboards that can be used by different business units within the credit union. One such dashboard, he explained, analyzes customers’ calls, including what questions they asked, which departments helped them, and how satisfied they were at the end of the process. “At a glance we can see what’s happening with the calls,” George explained.

Lou Heimstead, business intelligence and analytics manager at Royal, said George has been fully integrated into her team and its work. “He’s not doing isolated intern tasks,” Heimstead said. “He’s been learning and applying the same processes that our business intelligence analysts and data engineers use.”

And as George has continued to demonstrate his skills, the scope of the internship has expanded into the realm of machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence in which algorithms are used to find patterns in data to make predictions without explicit programming.

“What he has added is the capacity to bring in his technical skills that align closely with what he’s been studying at UW-Stout, specifically data science and machine learning,” Heimstead explained. “With that background, he’s been able to contribute to more technical work that would otherwise compete for my senior analyst’s time. So rather than replacing existing work, he’s actually been expanding what the team can realistically take on, especially in areas requiring stronger programming, modeling and data science skills.”

Expanding machine learning applications

Last summer, four undergraduates — including two from UW-Stout — took part in a machine learning internship at Royal. They focused on writing software to dive into Royal’s data and address two issues: The first was studying the factors that could lead members to leave the credit union, while the second aimed to determine a “next best product” that might interest an existing member. After the undergraduates’ internship ended last summer, George was asked to continue working with the machine learning-powered software models they built.

“It was not part of my job description, but since I was interested, they were happy to give me the opportunity to work on machine learning,” he said. As a result, George continues to hone his machine learning skills, while Royal continues to benefit from what the previous interns helped build.

In fact, Heimstead said, George has enhanced and unified the multiple machine learning models into a single model for each issue. His work ensures the solution remains both usable and valuable. That continuity helps Royal keep the work ready to build on in the future.

George said the UW-Stout master’s program offers a sharp contrast to his bachelor’s degree experience. “Here I get the exposure of practical training and working on projects. There are so many internship opportunities, and they are directly aligned with my academics,” George said.

“I feel like the professors are very helpful,” he continued. “They are always making sure you are getting practical exposure. It’s not just theory. That’s something I like about Stout.”

Wojciechowski is impressed by George’s hard work and adaptability in the Royal internship. “He’s out there in the world solving problems,” Wojciechowski said.

Not only has George been able to tackle the tasks he was originally hired for, but he’s been able to grow his skill set, too. “He’s been able to adapt and evolve at Royal,” Wojciechowski said. “I think that speaks very well for him.”  

UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.