Students themselves can be excellent voices on how to teach financial literacy. Dania Talat and Adriana Gomez took the initiative to teach their classmates about money instead of waiting for someone else to do it. This episode of the NGPF Podcast explores their backgrounds and their journey.

Both students grew up in immigrant families, which made it challenging to navigate the U.S. financial system. Topics such as college, loans, and employment were unfamiliar to them. Instead of feeling embarrassed about what they didn’t know, they used that experience as motivation to help others.

Through their school’s DECA program, they launched Money Matters, a financial literacy initiative that helps peers navigate budgeting, credit, and other financial decisions. Before leading workshops, they surveyed students to find out which topics they wanted to understand. This helped them tailor each lesson to students’ needs. Additionally, Support from teachers, administrators, local banking professionals, and others helped turn their idea into a successful initiative.

As part of Money Matters, they hosted the Credit for Life Fair, an event that reached more than 200 students. Participants received fictional occupations and salaries, then visited stations representing real-world financial decisions, such as housing. 

Dania and Adriana recommend using interactive activities and making lessons relatable so students can connect with the material. As Dania put it, “It's not that the topic is boring, but it's like the students don't see themselves in it.”

See the transcript and listen to their conversation on the NGPF Podcast to learn more.

About the Authors

Hannah Rael

As NGPF's Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF's mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.

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Zach Mann

Zach recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Sociology. Zach is a Communications Intern for NGPF, assisting with content creation for NGPF's various platforms. He enjoys contributing to communications that support a mission with a tangible impact.

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