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:

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Student: Eleana Sadok

Teacher: Adam Cole

School: Needham High School, Needham, MA

"I have become much more conscious of my spending choices and how I manage my money. One assignment that was really helpful was tracking my spending. Although I thought I was a saver didn't spend too much, the assignment showed me that I spend more than I thought. As a result, I changed my spending habits to only use my money when it's completely necessary."

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Student: Jack Gecawich

Teacher: Pat Page

School: East Greenwich High School, East Greenwich, RI

"After taking personal finance this past fall, I was inspired to start advocating on behalf of personal finance for all students in Rhode Island. It was clear after taking personal finance that it is a class that should not just be offered as an elective. Personal finance holds the skills and knowledge that students need to be financially successful in a world that requires educated finance decisions to be made daily. This has led to testifying at the Statehouse and advocating on behalf of personal finance for every student in the public."

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!

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