A group of Penn students are working to share their business knowledge with high school students in Philadelphia.
Wharton Women, one of the largest undergraduate student organizations, has formed a Financial Literacy club to teach high school students about subjects ranging from credit scores and managing budgets to student loans and taxes. Club members will teach at Philadelphia schools approximately twice a month.
Wharton sophomore Eliza Reinisch, who is the founder of the 15-person club, said the program is set to begin spring semester.
“It’s important to teach students skills that are applicable to real life and will help them in the future,” College sophomore and club member Elyse Friedman said.
The club will only teach students in the tenth or eleventh grades during the upcoming semester, but plans to eventually create a curriculum that covers all four years of high school. Members are currently reaching out to Wharton professors and teachers from local high schools to create the lesson plans.
Reinisch said feedback from professors and teachers will help her better understand the needs of high school students and instruct her on “how to actually teach in a productive manner, rather than based off of what students think.”
She came up with the Financial Literacy club after attending last year’s Dollar Diva conference, an annual event hosted by Wharton Women that teaches high school students how to manage their finances. Reinisch said that after seeing how much students learned in one day, she decided to expand on the idea.
“I talked to students who undoubtedly learned a lot that day," Reinisch said. "But, I figured the lessons would not stick with them for that long.”
Wharton sophomore Julia Govberg, a member of the club’s Mentor Relations Committee, said she was excited to teach local students useful skills about finance.
“I think I am in a position to teach people about this subject because it is something I believe is very important," Govberg said. "I have been lucky enough to take classes at Penn that have taught me all about the economy."
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