Carter in the classroom

Bank Opens on High School Campus, Teaches Students About Finances

The bank has another branch at Allen High School and officers told us they are always talking to other schools about partnerships so there's a possibility of even more.

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We do so much at the touch of a button. Who's actually going into banks these days? High schoolers, that's who.

What looked like Saturday morning errands was actually a course in financial literacy at Little Elm High School in an actual full-service branch of the Credit Union of Texas.

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"I love it so much, it's amazing. The ways I've been challenged coming into this, not knowing anything about financial literacy," said Hailey Birch, a student who is also a manager at the campus branch.

Birch is savvy in budgeting, finance and saving money. For her, it's so much more than just another class. 

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"It's only me, my mom, and my younger sister, and financially we've never been financially stable, so now that I know about financial literacy and have a good career path," said Amanda Bonilla, student and banker.

She sees a career in finance, has a retirement account set up, has improved finances at home and is saving for a car.

The branch at the end of a hall on the way to history class gives out money for good grades and teaches all students whether they're in the banking class or not.

"I referee soccer and work at an ice cream shop so I used to bring in a lot of cash," said Chloe Carpenter, a student and bank customer. 

"I used to be at a different bank, I didn't know the banker's name but I know Ray. I'm able to talk to him and see him."

The bank wins too in this partnership. They were able to add a branch to Little Elm where they didn't have one. They're training new employees and have a crop of new younger customers they can train to have good habits.

"It's so important to have students talking to students. If students can talk about needs versus wants, are you buying shoes, clothes? Are you saving your money? It will resonate a little bit more with some of their peers," said Desmond Bibbs, Vice President, Community Engagement, at Credit Union of Texas.

The students say they're having fun but say it's stressful too. From rates of return to robberies, they're trained to handle it all.

The bank has another branch at Allen High School and officers told us they are always talking to other schools about partnerships so there's a possibility of even more.

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