Local students are careful with their money in online courses. Sponsored by Kitsap Credit Union.
BREMERTON, Wash. — Kitsap Credit Union Outreach Coordinator Cathy Brorson loves reading feedback from high school students who take financial literacy classes she coordinates with local teachers.
“Probably one of the most touching for me is this,” Brorson read aloud: “It made things very scary and adult understandable, even for kids who have no one else to explain to them. life.”
Kitsap Credit Union offers free online financial literacy classes to local high schools. They teach subjects kids might not learn at home, and kids walk away with a certification they can add to a resume.
“In many families, money is a taboo subject, we just don’t talk about finances with our kids, which is a shame because they really need that exposure,” Brorson explained.
Lisa Egenes, a home science teacher, has seen the impact of classes on her students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma.
“Kitsap Credit Union and Cathy have been incredible supporters of our students here at Lincoln,” Egenes said. “I think it really helps with basic knowledge, what they need to move around, and be independent and really understand the fast-paced world around them.”
Courses cover topics such as credit cards, insurance, interest rates, and investing. There’s even a section on filling out a FAFSA form for financial assistance.
Sometimes this program will even kick-start a career.
“We have employees who are here at the credit union because they took this course, and it changed their lives,” Brorson said.
Colin Freeze, a 2022 graduate, took the courses – he now works in customer service at the credit union.
“Everything fell into place and it was fine with me at the time,” Freeze said. “It was interesting to see how I learned so much from this program and now I am able to pass it on to members of the company and tell them about what I learned so that they can learn too. is truly gratifying.”
Educating high school students about money is an investment where a payoff is guaranteed.
“What we see through this program is that after they go through it, they take it back to their parents, share that information, and now together they sit down with their family and budget , they save, they start investing,” Brorson said.
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