To acknowledge the efforts that teachers put into their classes, NGPF Fellows have the option to award a 'Personal Finance Student of the Year Award' to one student with outstanding contributions in their personal finance class. The Fellow selects a student based on the following criteria:

• The student has taken the Fellow's personal finance class in the 2018-2019 school year
• The student has demonstrated outstanding performance in the class based on their participation, academic excellence, and passion for the subject. 

We'll showcase 2 students per week who will also share how they benefited from having a personal finance education in high school.

Congratulations this week go to:

-----

Student: Meganne Nihart

Teacher: Holly McWilliams

School: Winfield High School (Winfield, KS)

"There is much to learn about properly working with your finances. The personal finance class has taught me a lot about how I should properly manage my finances in the future... The purpose of the personal finance class is to simply prepare us for the future and allow us to be financially stable as we enter adulthood."

-----

Student: Morgan Reed

Teacher: Jill Wilson

School: Glenwood Springs High School (Glenwood Springs, CO)

"The majority of teenagers understand almost nothing about personal finance. When they get cash they spend it and when they don't have it they ask a parent. But a financial literacy class answers all of the questions or wonderings kids and teenagers could have ever had about how adults pay for everyday items, handle emergencies, and manage savings. A financial literacy class gives students the insight into the real world that most of them were likely ignoring."

About the Author

Laura Matchett

After graduating with an education degree and spending 7 years in an elementary classroom, Laura made the switch to the non-profit world and loves interacting with students, educators and business professionals across the country. She is passionate about all students having access to high quality education and views personal finance education as one way to ‘level the playing field’. When Laura is not locating or creating high quality educational resources, you can find her mountain biking or searching for the best ramen in town!