Member Story

Arnold never thought owning a home would be within reach, as no one in his family had ever owned their own home. Instead of following the path he knew and going into a job straight out of high school, Arnold chose to go to college and earned his bachelor’s degree. He started a career in finance, with the intent to pull his family out of poverty, but quickly realized that was not his path and went back to school. While in school, Arnold worked as a teaching aide and discovered his passion for working with children with disabilities. He pursued occupational therapy and finished with his master’s degree in the subject.

Arnold worked as a contractor for Orange County school districts, before obtaining a full-time position at Santa Ana Unified School District. He works at different school sites within the district – three elementary schools and one preschool. When Arnold opened his Membership in 2021, he was interested in all of the products and services available to school employees and kept the home loan products in the back of his mind.

After obtaining his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Arnold again defied the societal norms of where he grew up by making the leap into home ownership. He recalls that prior to committing to the decision to purchase a home, he called the SchoolsFirst FCU 800-number, knowing nothing and wanting to learn more. The teammember who helped him, Renee, ended up working with him through the entire process from that initial inquiry. “I felt cared for during the process. I was surprised by the level of support I received,” Arnold said of his experience. “Renee really helped to keep me calm during a stressful time.” Arnold shared that Renee helped him by staying on the phone while he downloaded forms to sign and reassured him along the escrow journey.

Arnold made his dream of homeownership a reality and is grateful to the Credit Union for the help he received during the process.