When Caitlynn Duffey graduated from high school in Muskegon, Michigan, she knew she wanted to stay close to home, continue playing softball, and study either business or education. During her recruitment process, she narrowed her search to NAIA Division II schools—and Cleary University quickly rose to the top of her list.
“I really liked Cleary’s campus—how small it was and how interconnected everyone seemed,” Caitlynn says. “It felt like a place where I could grow.”
She lived on campus for her first two years, competing as a member of Cleary’s softball team before deciding to focus on work and school. “When I stopped playing softball, I wanted to start working while continuing my education. The online Corporate Finance program has been perfect—flexible, doable, and it’s allowed me to live at home while earning my degree.”
Now entering her senior year at Cleary, Caitlynn is putting her skills to work as a Finance Intern at RENK in Muskegon, a defense and aerospace manufacturing company. She discovered the internship through a family connection—her friend’s mother works in HR—and applied after spotting it on the company’s careers page. With help from her academic advisor and Cleary’s internship process, she was quickly on her way.
At RENK, Caitlynn works with a finance team that includes accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and program finance specialists. She assists with invoicing, journal entries for month-end close, and analyzing variances to improve accuracy. One of her biggest achievements has been leading a fixed asset audit procedure—a process she streamlined from more than an hour to less than 30 minutes per section, while improving accuracy.
“It’s been amazing to take what I’ve learned in my accounting courses and apply it in real life,” she says. “This experience has confirmed that corporate finance is the right path for me—and I’ve learned there are so many career options in finance I never knew existed.”
Before RENK, Caitlynn worked as a teller at Lake Michigan Credit Union, where she earned a Culture Award for empowering her colleagues and a Star Performers Award for exceptional customer service and product referrals. Those early experiences built her interpersonal, organizational, and leadership skills—abilities she now applies daily in a more technical finance role.
Caitlynn credits her family, including her educator parents, for encouraging her to pursue finance, as well as Cleary faculty and coaches for helping her grow. She names Danny MacIntyre, faculty advisor for a career-building club, and Adam Mayhew, who offered valuable guidance during her freshman year, as influential mentors. She also remembers life lessons learned from Coach Lobdell during her softball career.
“I’m proud of the path I’ve chosen,” Caitlynn says. “Corporate finance opens the door to so many industries—manufacturing, accounting, program finance, even teaching. Every industry needs a finance team, and this experience has shown me I’m ready to step into whatever’s next.”
At Cleary University, students receive comprehensive career preparation through the Career Development Office. From resume-building workshops and mock interviews to career fairs, employer partnerships, and personalized coaching, Cleary equips students with the tools and confidence they need to enter the workforce ready to contribute on day one.
“Internships like Caitlynn’s are powerful stepping stones between the classroom and a successful career,” says Jessica Dale, Director of Career Services for Cleary University. “At Cleary, we prepare students to hit the ground running through hands-on experience, career coaching, and strong industry partnerships. Caitlynn’s work at RENK America shows how our students apply problem-solving and critical thinking to make a real impact.”
For more information on Career Services at Cleary University, contact Jessica Dale at jdale@cleary.edu.
