For as long as she can remember, Shardae N. has been an Ellafi Federal Credit Union member.
Her connection began when her mother, a paraprofessional in the Middletown school system, opened an account for her as a toddler, back when the credit union was known as Seasons Federal Credit Union. By the time she was about 19 or 20, she was managing her own banking relationship. Years later, when Seasons changed its name to Ellafi, she admits she initially wondered what was happening.
“I remember thinking, ‘What’s going on?’” Shardae recalls telling her sister, also a Seasons member.
We started researching and finding out what the name Ellafi meant and the significance of the lips, and we got so excited about its new emphasis on women and community. We are women, and we’re in business together, so we loved it.
Shardae owns iTeach CT LLC, a private tutoring business she started in 2019. She also works alongside her sister, Sana Cotten, founder and president of the Middletown nonprofit Unashamed, which supports young adults in the foster care system and those transitioning out of DCF care. The work is particularly meaningful to the sisters, who were both adopted, grew up together, and reconnected as adults in 2019.
Over the years, Shardae’s relationship with Ellafi has grown along with her life. When her Nissan lease neared its end, she contacted Ellafi about financing the vehicle so she could purchase it. Loan Specialist Jordan Cleary walked her through the process, answered her questions, and made it all surprisingly simple.
“The process was smooth,” she says. “Any question I had, she never made me feel like it was dumb. It was just easy.”
Then, about a month later, she and her son were involved in a car accident. Thankfully, neither was seriously hurt, but the car that she had just purchased was totaled. And while the insurance process was underway, she was told she had only seven days to find another car. At that point, she didn’t know what to do or where to turn, so she called Ellafi.
“I was freaking out,” she says. “I called Jordan and told her I had seven days to get a car. She said, ‘Don’t worry about it. You go find something that you really like.’”
From there, Jordan helped her understand what she needed from the dealership, worked through the financing, and even helped her navigate complications involving insurance, the title, and the DMV.
I just never felt so reassured. They walked me through everything.
Because her own work centers on helping others gain confidence and find their way forward, Jordan’s guidance was especially important to her.
Through iTeach CT LLC, she works with students ranging from elementary school through young adulthood. Her approach goes beyond helping students master a particular subject. She works to understand how each student learns and then helps them build confidence in that process.
“I can tell how a student needs to learn,” she says. “I can take whatever they may be struggling with and break it down to where they can understand it.”
She’s thinking about those lessons at home, too. All three of her children have Ellafi accounts, and she is preparing to open a checking account with her 16-year-old son so she can begin “showing him the ropes” when it comes to managing his own money.
Whether she’s working with a student or teaching her own children, Shardae believes in taking the time to understand what someone needs and helping them find their way. It’s the same personalized approach she has come to appreciate at Ellafi.
For Shardae, that relationship is about more than having somewhere to bank. It’s knowing that people are willing to listen, answer questions, and help when she needs it.
Shardae N.
Ellafi Member