JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students at a Jacksonville high school are gaining real-time banking experience on their campus.
VyStar Credit Union opened a student-run branch at Riverside High School. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening for the VyStar Academy of Business was held Thursday, Oct. 24.
Recommended Videos
It’s a chance for them to learn about financial literacy and help others.
At the Riverside High School branch, student workers will assist fellow students and staff in opening savings or checking accounts, obtaining debit cards, completing transactions, and answering financial questions. The students learn marketable skills that help them in the workforce, and many participants have gone on to work for VyStar after graduating, VyStar said.
The students, who will be paid interns, are excited about the opportunity.
Related: VyStar branch opens at Mandarin High School
“I have also learned in the vault how to count straps, I have learned how to open savings accounts and how to count money in general,” Salina Hutchings, a sophomore at Riverside High School said.
“I’ve learned problem-solving, social skills, working with others, teamwork,” Zeky Watson, a junior at Riverside High School said.
Twelve student-workers will receive hands-on experience in the financial industry through the VyStar Academy of Business. They will be supervised by Riverside High School alum Kevin Brown, the school program advisor with VyStar. Brown calls this opportunity life-changing as students will learn practical financial advice for their futures.
“Some of our students are providing or assisting and providing financial needs in their own household,” Brown said. “Being able to work with VyStar Credit Union and from that, go to college, build a career.”
The Academy of Business through VyStar has 18 other branches just like this in different schools.
Michael Rathjen, the Vice President of School Programs with VyStar, says this is the perfect age for them to learn about financial literacy along with other skills to take with them in any career path they choose. Rathjen says there can be peace or pressure when it comes to making financial decisions.
“The better prepared you are to handle your finances, the less pressure there is when you navigate that. contrary to that if you did not have the education or you are just going from one decision to the next and maybe being taken advantage of and struggling, it creates a lot of pressure on all of those other areas of life. Having that financial education early on can help them prepare for their future instead of having to repair their past,” Rathjen said.
Additional skills these students can learn through this program include:
- Marketing and communication
- Conflict resolution
- Knowing the difference between risk and controls
- Self-audit
“I am starting at a young age,” Hutchings said. “I can use these things that I am learning to my future. I think that it would be beneficial to help others be able to use those same things.”
Riverside High School is now the sixth Duval County Public School to have a VyStar Credit Union branch on campus.
Click here to learn more about the program.