Classification: Two-year public college or university.

Modules Used:

• Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students.
• Module 2: Seek out Financial Aid: Funding Resources and Financial Obligations.
• Module 3: Work Hard but Smart: How to Be Successful in School and Graduate on Time.
• Module 4: Take Control of Your Future: Finishing School and Repaying Your Loans.

How Used: Upward Bound program.

Program Description: After attending a train-the-trainer workshop for USA Funds^® Life Skills^®, the student-activities coordinator stepped outside her scope of responsibilities to find a way to share the information with students who could benefit immediately. The target audience was Upward Bound students. She shared her enthusiasm with the director of the program and was subsequently invited to speak to the group. While the presentation covered a broad range of financial topics, she emphasized the difference culture makes in determining one's career path and lifestyle after college. This presentation, using USA Funds Life Skills, was a potential stepping stone for providing financial literacy training on a larger scale in the future.

The coordinator of student activities spent one hour of her presentation on Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students, Module 2: Seek out Financial Aid: Funding Resources and Financial Obligations, Module 3: Work Hard but Smart: How to Be Successful in School and Graduate on Time and Module 4: Take Control of Your Future: Finishing School and Repaying Your Loans to the Upward Bound students. The students were especially interested in learning about the different careers they were considering. They were surprised when they learned that the starting salaries they could expect were much lower than they originally envisioned.

Staffing Requirements: The student-activities coordinator is responsible for delivering the modules to the Upward Bound students.

Recommendations: The influence of culture should not be underestimated in discussions of financial literacy. The standard of living in Maui is very different from that of the mainland. Presenters need to know their audience before embarking upon a program like USA Funds Life Skills.

Campus Contact:
Elena Alexander, Student Activities Coordinator
Phone: (808) 984-3260
E-mail: ealexand@hawaii.edu