This year’s Carter County Youth Leadership class invested some of its time learning about good financial management during an activity-packed session this past week.
The students also learned about health care careers, took part in leadership-developing activities and practiced for their upcoming graduation.
The students stopped by Citizens Bank on Wednesday morning and heard from CEO Joe LaPorte and Vice President of Lending David Oyler about financial preparedness, student loans, personal credit and being financially prepared for the future.
“As they transition from a high school student, to a college student and then an adult in the workplace, this is information that they will need to know,” said Milligan College Public Relations Director and Youth Leadership Director Chandrea Shell. “We also talked about the purpose and value of having financial institutions in the community for economic growth and sustainability.”
Elizabethton High School student Grace Johnson said the information on loans and building personal credit would be important as she started college.
“I learned about what to do to build my credit, and how important it is to have a savings account and get that started,” Johnson said.
Hampton High School student Tessa Stevenson agreed the information shared would be helpful in her future.
“We were told about credit cards, and how it is important to not get the first one you find,” she said. “We learned how to manage our money in the future. We were told about the 80/20 plan, which I think is a good idea. You live on 80 percent of your income and put 10 percent in a savings account and 10 percent in a 401k. I think it is really going to help when I get in college and will have to do this on my own.”
LaPorte said he was always glad to help with the Youth Leadership program when he could.
During the past session, he shared with the students about leadership tips and skills, personality traits that employers will be looking for and financial management skills.
“It is crucial that we start developing the future leaders for the community,” LaPorte said. “The students were recognized by their schools as having what it takes to be the future leaders. I am excited to be a part of this and to help shape and develop their leadership education.”
After the students left the bank, they traveled to Milligan College for leadership development activities and graduation practice and then to Sycamore Shoals Hospital to get an up-close look at different health-care related careers.
Shell said the students had a “packed day” to try to make up for some of the sessions missed because of snow through the winter.
“We are catching up on some of the snow days,” Shell said. “We did have to miss some sessions completely.”
She added the program would soon be accepting applications for the next Youth Leadership session for the coming school year.