Cleveland's banking history reached a significant milestone as KeyBank celebrated two centuries of financial service, marking the occasion with a touch of academic flair. A freshly minted graduate from Cleveland State University, Andrew Zelina is the mind behind the bank's newly launched, high-tech museum - a digital time capsule housed in the towering headquarters of KeyBank. After securing his Master’s degree in History, with a specialty in Museum Studies, Zelina's academic trajectory took a practical turn when he was hired to pioneer the Corporate Heritage Project at KeyBank.
Zelina, freshly graduated and ready for the curatorial challenges, started his role in October 2024, at a time when the institution trusted him with significant responsibilities, despite his student status. According to Cleveland State University's news announcement, Zelina said, "I began [the KeyBank] position in October 2024, during my second semester of grad school [and] my exact reasoning for pursuing this position initially had nothing to do with gaining internship credit." He added, “Rather, it was simply a full-time job within my desired field that paid exceptionally well, considering my status as a student.”
The partnership between KeyBank and the Western Reserve Historical Society is not just a merger of history and finance. Still, it's also a nod to the value of hands-on learning. The coordination also demonstrates how institutions can play a pivotal role in weaving the fabric of a student's future career.
Cleveland State University's History Department has a long tradition of embedding its students into the professional world, thanks to its internship program. For over 25 years, this initiative has acted as a bridge between academia and the community's historical and public venues. Mark Souther, a Professor of History at CSU, acknowledged Zelina's endeavors and the program's impact, "In my 21 years leading the program, I have advised and mentored around 100 CSU students, many of whom have taken their place in museum and public history careers locally, regionally, and nationally," Souther told CSU.
