Each year, NGPF Fellows have the option to award a Personal Finance Student of the Year Award' to a student who has demonstrated outstanding contributions in their personal finance class during the school year. We're showcasing new winners each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday here on the blog throughout the summer.

Students are selected based on the following criteria:

• Student has taken a personal finance class in the 2019-2020 school year that was taught by the NGPF Fellow who nominated them
• Student demonstrated outstanding performance in the class based on participation/academic excellence/passion for the subject matter

Congratulations this Wednesday go to:

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Student: Megan Pileri

Teacher: Sue Suttich

School: Tigard High School (Tigard, OR)

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“I think that personal finance is a class that everybody should take in their lifetime. I also believe that it should be required in high schools to ensure success of students after they graduate. Personal finance is important because it teaches you how to create a budget and stay within it. It also teaches you how  interest works for you or against you. Knowing these things can set you up for financial success in your life. This class has sparked an interest in my own financial success. After taking this class I got a job at 15 years old and started to contribute to a Roth IRA. I will be able to make the maximum contribution this year to my Roth IRA and my goal is to continue contributing to this retirement account each year. I am going to continue reading all of the material I can get my hands on to improve my financial literacy.”

-Megan Pileri 

About the Author

Yanely Espinal

Born and raised by Dominican, immigrant parents in Brooklyn, Yanely is a proud product of NYC public schools. She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in 2007 before going on to receive her bachelor's degree at Brown University in 2011. As a Teach For America corps member, Yanely taught third and fourth grade in Canarsie, Brooklyn. She received her master's degree from Relay Graduate School of Education in 2013. She spends her spare time making YouTube videos about personal finance on her channel, MissBeHelpful. Yanely also loves to dance, sew, paint, listen to podcasts, and babysit her 10 nieces and nephews!