Seven high school students in a financial education program mentored by the $153 million Downey FCU won first place in a California Council on Economic Education-sponsored competition.
The "MoneyWise Teen" competition awarded $500 to each winning student enrolled in Downey High School's ROP (Regional Occupational Program) Banking and Finance Operations Class. Their teacher, Ms. Coty Alvarez, also received a $500 prize.
The technical education class was also awarded the "Model Program and Practice" Award from the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the California Department of Education.
Downey FCU's Community Education and Development Representative, Kari Johnson, mentored the students by teaching some units from the MoneyWise Teen curriculum and helped them develop their winning presentation to judges.
Major funding for the MoneyWise Teen competition came from the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of Los Angeles. Other major contributors include the Richard Miles Johnson Foundation and HSBC Bank.
--handerson@cutimes.com
