Press release
April is Financial Literacy Month, andCarl Albert State College was recently awarded a $5,000 State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship grant to create and establish an Invest in $uccess Financial Literacy Program. To kick-off the program, CASChosted a series of events and workshops for students to learn from local financial experts as guest speakers.
Jason Waymire is the Lead Pastor at Cross Community Church in Poteau; John Hamilton is a State Farm Insurance Agent in Poteau; BJ Johnson works in the Loan Office of The Community State Bank; and Brooke Burgess is a Lending Assistant at The Community State Bank. These four business professionals provided expertise on subjects ranging from liability insurance, to the budgeting process, and finally to the process of applying for a bank loan.
“More than 50 students from various majors participated in our initial workshop,” said Hali Repass, CASC Business Instructor and Invest in $uccess program Coordinator. “We administered pre-tests and post-tests to each student in order to measure what they learned from our workshops. Their test scores increased dramatically from the first to the third session!”
Scholarships were awarded to the students with the top three post-test scores, and a gift card was awarded to the student with the most improved test score. Dylan Kuester, Cody Davis, and Emily Yandell were the scholarship recipients for their post-test scores. Kuester also possessed the most improved test score.
CASC is proud to carry out its mission of providing affordable, accessible, and exceptional education that fosters the success of each student it serves. While CASC has received national recognition for providing a quality education at a reasonable cost, and for possessing graduation rates that are among the best in the state — the faculty, staff, and administration of CASC believe their duty to the students they serve does not end there.
CASC values the importance of educating students about financial literacy and understands the impact a quality financial education can play in the future lives of its students. With the rising costs of a higher education, and the general cost-of-living in mind, CASC created the Invest in $uccess Financial Literacy Program to address this educational need and to further support its mission of fostering student success.
“We want our graduates to enter the next phase of their education feeling confident,” Repass said, “and competent to make financial decisions that set them up for success during and after college. We truly appreciate the generosity of State Farm for awarding CASC the grant funds to make this financial literacy program possible.”
CASC’s financial literacy program will provide beneficial resources to help students understand their finances, acquire money management strategies for their future, and become fiscally responsible.
Private financial guidance sessions can be scheduled upon request to create individual financial plans according to their financial situation and academic goals.
For more information on the Invest in $uccess Financial Literacy Program, contact Hali Repass at hrepass@carlalbert.eduor 918-647-1222.
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