LAND O’ LAKES — They weren’t exactly thrilled to take yet another test, but they passed it anyway.
That’s par for the course for students at Angeline Academy of Innovation. They study, pass tests and continue to make strides at the school that just wrapped its second year. That includes four students who, at just 16 years old, are now certified Credit Union Financial Counselors.
But what does that mean exactly?
It means this summer, they’ll be interning at three different Achieva Credit Union locations in Pasco County. They’ll work with customers and counsel on personal finance topics such as budgeting, saving, debt management and future planning. The students will help those experiencing financial difficulties, try to attract new members, grow product and service revenue and reduce delinquencies and charge-offs.
They studied for months to pass a 100-question test through the CUNA Mutual Group that offers a Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor designation through their Financial Counseling Certification Program.
All on top of their normal eight-class routine.
Achieva Branch Manager Sherry Jackson said tenured employees have failed the test of their first attempt, making the students’ success particularly impressive. The teens will serve as interns, handling everything from basic teller transactions to opening new accounts, lending, making debit cards and fraud detection. They’ll also have the opportunity to stay on once school starts, with some interns becoming full-time employees.
“They won’t be left to their own devices for quite some time, but getting (the certification) and passing (the test) on the first try is quite impressive, especially for not even going in not knowing that much about banking,” Jackson said.
Students Dhwani Shenoy and Kiera Chu will work at Achieva’s Land O’ Lakes branch, while fellow certified counselors Josiah Mirville and Chris Vargas will intern at branches in New Port Richey and Odessa, respectively. They studied while taking accounting classes with Angeline Academy teacher Chad Mallo, who worked for Achieva Credit Union for six years and was part of their first Certified Financial Counselor program taken through CUNA.
According to Mallo, he believes Angeline is the only school in the country going through the certification program.
Mallo said the students applied classroom skills when completing their paperwork and will learn customer service and cash handling skills vital to banking success. They’ll work alongside seasoned counselors to gain real-world experience.
“Achieva has a robust system, with a lot of counseling, and for them, this goes well beyond budgeting — from the pitfalls of using credit cards to other financial situations, including housing, cars, insurance payments,” Mallo said. “I want students to get real-world experience through work-based learning, not just be able to tell me the answer that is on page 32.”
The students are ready for the challenge.
“Who doesn’t like money?” Chu said with a laugh, adding that she was already researching careers in banking or accounting. While she expects working with customers and handling their finances to be challenging, she’s focused on learning customer service skills and building relationships with members.
Shenoy said the certification taught her financial concepts that will benefit her throughout life, far beyond basic budgeting to include mortgages and insurance policies. The experience has sparked a greater interest in finance overall.
“It may be challenging, but we have the best support from the (branch) managers that have been helping us,” Shenoy said. “In the end, I think it's going to be a fun summer working (for Achieva).”
