High school students are getting a leg up on their finances thanks to a partnership with Visions Federal Credit Union.
For yet another year, district branch offered students internships, job experience, and a chance to learn more about financial literacy.
Carly Budrick, a financial wellness officer for Visions, helps lead the charge.
“The main goal really is to give students within the high school the opportunity to experience that introduction to banking in a safe, small environment where they can learn how to cash their first paycheck, come in and open an account or just ask questions," said Budrick.
Along with high school teacher Austin Lewis, the two have started a club known as "Money Talks."
Students are able to learn more about topics such as retirement funds, financial aid, and other important money topics that can benefit them following graduation.
"I think a lot of kids kind of get overwhelmed once they get into the real world, once they realize all the things that are involved with paying for bills, and paying for college and setting up a retirement accounts, all that kind of stuff. So I think just getting them exposure to those kind of things early on kind of gives them more comfort as they kind of go into their lives into the real world,” said Austin Lewis, High School Teacher.
Interest in the club is growing.
“Working with high school students has been phenomenal. I've always surprised at the level of enthusiasm they have once they start to see what kind of an impact learning some little financial tips and tricks can have on their life now, and they can really project that into their future,” said Budrick."
“The amount of kids who've had come to the clubs, and to the meetings just to get exposure to a lot of this stuff. They want to hear about investing. They want to learn about credit and credit cards, how to use those responsibly, so it's been awesome,” said Lewis.
The club and the branch will continue to operate next school year, giving students a whole new perspective on financial literacy.