Seniors Gain Financial Literacy Skills Through Institute for Responsible Citizenship Seminars

Understanding financial concepts can seem… well, taxing… but our seniors are feeling more confident thanks to our financial literacy seminars. The seminars cover topics including taxes, budgeting, financial goal setting, and debt management. These financial literacy lessons are part of our Institute for Responsible Citizenship’s seminar series, which prepares our girls for real-world situations by focusing on topics including communication and civil discourse, leadership and community engagement, and civic involvement.

Professionals also help our girls gain valuable financial knowledge. Hutchison Chief Financial Officer Melissa Baker and Controller Caitlin Edwards led a crash course on taxes, and visitors from Orion Federal Credit Union taught a seminar focusing on budgeting and credit. Baker aims to empower students to make informed financial decisions and navigate post-college finances.

“This is just one of the many opportunities the girls have to gain even baseline experience and build confidence so that they can make informed decisions and own how they manage their taxes and overall personal finances,” she said. “Whether the girls know it at the time or not, it creates that point of reference in memory that allows them to not close a door immediately when they encounter something unknown.”

In her seminars, Baker showed students how to file their personal taxes and how their tax dollars are allocated for the broader community. “Everybody will pay taxes at some point in their lives. I want our girls to feel confident in the ‘why,’ and I want them to know what they’re talking about,” she said. “I want them to feel comfortable articulating or asking questions about setting up their tax withholdings or tax planning.” 

Baker said understanding how our taxes are used and every individual’s role in that process illustrates civic engagement and responsible citizenship through a unique lens. “The Institute aims to create moments of insight that plant seeds in different areas that will give way to deeper realization and understanding as our girls go into college and beyond,” she said. “The financial literacy toolkit is essential in order for them to be critical thinkers and connectors in society.”