Five Years of Growth: Kelsey McCarter’s Unexpected Career in Banking

Sometimes the right career opportunity is the one you never expected to pursue. For Kelsey McCarter, a recommendation from a friend led to an unexpected career in banking, new opportunities for growth and five years of building meaningful relationships at the Gilford Village office. 

What started as a hesitant step into an unfamiliar industry quickly became a career Kelsey could see herself building for years to come. 

A Leap Into Banking 

When Kelsey joined BNH five years ago, she came from several years of working as a supervisor in clothing retail. While she had experience with her own personal banking, she knew very little about working in the banking industry professionally. 

“I was a bit nervous to try something new,” Kelsey says. 

Banking had never been something she had considered as a career, but after struggling to find a work environment where she felt she could truly thrive, a friend recommended BNH. 

She had previously worked at the bank and told Kelsey it was a great place to be. 

“She wasn’t wrong!” 

Although she was initially hesitant, Kelsey quickly discovered that banking was much more than what she had imagined. 

“I quickly realized that ‘banking’ was much more than sitting behind a desk and crunching numbers for someone.” 

Instead, she found a career that played directly to some of her greatest strengths: numbers, organization and customer service. 

Finding Her Strengths 

From the beginning, Kelsey found herself in her element. 

The combination of organization, problem-solving, numbers and customer interaction made banking a natural fit. Over the past five years, she has been able to build on those strengths while continuing to discover new ones. 

She has also found that the banking industry provides something she values: both stability and change. 

“The banking world is vast, and it fits both my need to have stability and routine as well as evolving change to keep things interesting.” 

Her career at BNH has given Kelsey the opportunity to learn more about herself as a professional and think about where she wants her career to go. 

The answer is clear. 

“I’ve learned a lot about myself as a professional and where I’d like to see my career go, which of course is with Bank of New Hampshire.” 

A Place to Grow 

One of the things Kelsey appreciates most about BNH is the encouragement she has received to continue learning and progressing. 

Classes, training opportunities and celebrations of employee achievements have all played a role in her professional development. 

Those experiences have helped her better understand her strengths, identify areas where she can continue to grow and feel confident about taking on new challenges. 

For Kelsey, professional development is not simply about moving up. It is about continually learning and becoming better at what she does. 

“I’ve loved being able to learn and progress in my career here.” 

After five years, BNH has become the best company Kelsey has worked for. 

“I feel like a human being instead of a statistic in a cog of the machine.” 

Finding Her BNH Community 

For someone who does not necessarily consider herself outgoing or a natural “people person,” the relationships Kelsey has built at BNH have made an especially meaningful difference. 

“I do not consider myself as outgoing or generally a people person, but all that means is that the people make the biggest difference for me.” 

For all five years of her BNH career, Kelsey has worked at the Gilford Village office, where  

she has developed strong relationships with both her coworkers and customers. 

Her team has experienced plenty of changes over the years, but one thing has remained consistent: their commitment to supporting one another. 

“My team has gone through a lot of changes, but we are all here for one another.” 

She also appreciates the leadership throughout the organization and the feeling of being valued as an individual. 

“To feel appreciated personally is huge.” 

For Kelsey, the BNH experience extends beyond the workplace itself. It is an environment where she feels comfortable, supported and connected to the people around her. 

Living a Childhood Dream 

One of Kelsey’s favorite parts of being part of the Gilford Village team happens every August. 

Each year, she spearheads the team’s Gilford Old Home Day float design. 

For Kelsey, the tradition is about much more than creating a parade float. 

She has lived in and out of New Hampshire throughout her life, but Gilford has always felt like home. As a child, one of her biggest dreams was to someday be part of the Gilford Old Home Day parade. 

Now, she gets to live that dream. 

“Making the parade float is no easy task, but with my team’s help we’ve managed to get a placing every year!” 

In 2025, that hard work resulted in her first-ever first-place finish. 

And the secret to the victory? 

Penny the Panda, of course. 

“2025 was my first 1st place achievement, which was totally awesome (thanks to Penny the Panda, haha).” 

The annual float has become a fun tradition that brings Kelsey’s team together while also allowing them to be part of an event that means so much to the Gilford community. 

Engaging. Enlightening. Exciting. 

If Kelsey had to describe her career at BNH in one word, she admits that choosing just one would be difficult. 

Instead, she settled on three: 

Engaging. Enlightening. Exciting. 

After five years, those words capture the experience of discovering a new industry, developing professionally, building relationships and becoming part of a community she has called home for years. 

Advice for the Next Chapter 

Her advice for someone beginning their career is simple: 

“Learn what you’re good at, learn what you’re not good at, and don’t be afraid to accept a job that challenges both.” 

For Kelsey, taking that chance is exactly what made all the difference. 

She entered banking unsure whether it would be the right fit. Five years later, she has discovered a career that combines her strengths, challenges her to continue growing and gives her the stability and sense of community she was looking for. 

What started with a recommendation from a friend became an unexpected career — and a place Kelsey now hopes to continue growing for years to come.