Financial Education by Sabrina

Financial Education by Sabrina - September 2019 Scholarship Essay

In our day to day high school curriculum, students often miss out on learning “real life application” content, the skills we will need to be successful in the following chapters of our lives. We focus on math, English, and sciences, which are all important to study; however, I feel that the American curriculum fails to offer or support courses on lifestyle readiness. If I had the opportunity to create an extracurricular activity offered to high school students, it would be a class or workshop about how to plan and take care of our finances and financial goals.

Everybody will one day need to file for taxes, get a loan for a house or car, or get insured. Unfortunately, we are all just thrown into the lion’s den when it comes to these real-world tasks. We spend our first 18 years focusing on math equations and scientific laws, yet we fail to understand how to ensure our well-being in future retirement. I believe that students must be equipped with the essential tools and skills to make sure that they know how to be responsible with their own money and invest in their goals.

I got my first job this summer and began making my own money. I often hear things about a 401K and end of year taxes; however, I don’t know that these things really mean. How do I grow my money? How do I borrow money? Why is so much of my paycheck disappearing to taxes? What are the risks and benefits of getting life insurance? How do I build up my credit score? These are all questions that still seek to understand and I can argue that most high school student are probably wondering the same things, and if they are not, it is only because they are unaware of these topics to begin with.

With these financial guidance workshops, I believe that high school students would not only grow more aware of where their money and their parents’ money goes, but they will also learn more about our economy and government. This will lead to more informed citizens and hopefully grow their ability to contribute in our ever-changing society. Students will expand their knowledge of investing, whether that be in the stock market, their education, or their future retirement or unemployment plans. Moreover, they would learn about what it means to have a good credit score and how that can affect their future purchases.

Although the current curriculum in our schools are important, I believe that there should be a fight to change and update the subjects and topics so that we, and our future children, are learning about how to save and spend our money. I hope that we can bring up better informed citizens and people who know how to take care of their finances and save for a brighter future. So, if I had the opportunity to create an extracurricular activity offered to high school students, it would be a financial education class.