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. This week we are combining 2 winners to wrap up the week! We'll continue to showcase new winners each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday right here on the blog throughout the coming summer weeks. 

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 Friday go to:

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Student: Amyah Moore

Teacher: Mihir Garud

School: Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy (Chicago, IL)

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“The value of a personal finance class is that it’s essential for everyday life. It helps us learn about how to save, and have a budget. I learned about what a credit score was. To add on, I learned how a fixed expense is an expense that does not change. For example, utility bills are a fixed expense. The actions I took as a result of taking the personal finance class is when I was deciding what college I was going to attend. This class informed me what it's like to be in debt from taking out loans. Learning about that made me think about not wanting to be in debt during college. Also how when loans are paid back I will also get charged interest depending on the loan. I’m really glad I was able to take this class because it was very informative. I was able to decide to attend a college that I won’t have to take out loans. This course helps us students gain financial literacy. Personal finance class helps us make smart decisions with our money."

-Amyah Moore

AND 

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Student: Zach Keely

Teacher: Aric Weiker

School: Interlake High School (Bellevue, WA)

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“In my opinion, personal finance is an invaluable high school course because it grants the student with real life skills and knowledge that will be immensely applicable and important later in the future. This course teaches the basics of saving, investing, and money management so that the student may set themselves up for later financial success. In the months following this course, I have set up my own Roth IRA and have begun saving for my retirement. I did this as early as possible because, as I learned from this course, starting early is extremely important. I have also set aside a large sum of money in an investment account so I can begin building my portfolio and set myself up for great financial success.”

-Zach Keely

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!