Whittier Tech Hosts Successful Credit for Life Event for The Class of 2024
(Photo Courtesy of DVC Junior Cole Bakke, from Haverhill)
Whittier Tech held a successful Credit for Life event last week on May 12, 2023 for the Junior class. Designed exclusively for these students as they head onto their senior year, the event aimed to equip them with essential financial literacy skills, enabling them to make informed decisions and embark on their adult lives with confidence.
(Photo Courtesy of DVC Junior Cole Bakke, from Haverhill)
The Credit for Life event immersed the Class of 2024 in a dynamic and practical learning environment, providing them with hands-on experience in managing personal finances. The event replicated real-world financial scenarios, engaging students in activities that simulated budgeting, saving, investing, and credit management. Students started with an annual salary of $20 an hour while working 40 hours per week. Students needed to determine if they could afford to live off of that.
There were interactive stations throughout the gym that represented various aspects of personal finance, such as creating budgets, understanding credit scores, exploring investment options, and navigating the challenges of student loans. The expenses students encountered included: Transportation, Insurance, Housing, Communication, Health and Nutrition, Clothing, Luxury/Entertainment/Vacation, Community Service, Savings and Retirement, and some unplanned expenses.
Marketing Junior Kevin Martinez, from Haverhill, reviews a budget sheet. (Photo Courtesy of DVC Junior Cole Bakke, from Haverhill)
Madalyn Pulsifer, a Health Assisting student from Ipswich, shared her experience at the event, stating, "The Credit for Life event was an eye-opening experience for me. The realistic scenarios we encountered made me realize the importance of financial responsibility. I had the opportunity to create a budget, manage my expenses, and even explore investment options.”
Elliott Dalton, a Culinary student from Haverhill added, “It was incredible to see how the choices I made affected my financial well-being. I received a bad credit score so I definitely need to make sure I take what I learned from this event and not make the same mistakes in real life."
Whittier Tech School Resource Officer Ryan Connolly even got into the fun giving out parking violations. Officer Connolly said, “This is an excellent event that hopefully was able to educate the students of what is involved long term throughout their lives in balancing their income and expenses.”
(Photo Courtesy of Officer Connolly)
The event concluded with a guest speaker, Holly Reid, CPA. Reid brought enthusiasm to the topic of financial literacy and held an interactive discussion with the members of the Class of 2024.
The Credit for Life event was organized by Marketing Instructors Linda Sarno and Derek Galante with assistance from English Instructor Ryan Richards. We would like to thank them and all of the volunteers who helped make this event a success.