Rachel Grimes
Rachel Grimes is a 2017 CashCourse Financial Educator of the Year honorable mention. The University of North Texas has also previously been featured as a CashCourse Success Story. Read more about her work on the University of North Texas campus.
About Rachel:
Rachel Grimes is the Assistant Director of Outreach for the University of North Texas Student Money Management Center. Under her direction, the Center has grown its outreach contacts from 5,000 student contacts to more than 15,000 student contacts annually. Overseeing a team of three peer mentors and a graduate assistant, Rachel’s approach to outreach is to let the students lead, ensuring that all workshops, events, and resources are student-focused from development to implementation.
Rachel is an AFCPE Accredited Financial Counselor and serves on the AFCPE Continuing Education Committee. She has been recognized for her efforts in financial literacy education by being selected as Visa’s Practical Money Skills Innovative Educator, TACUSPA Outstanding New Professional, and UNT Division of Student Affairs Staff Member of the Year. Rachel is often invited to share her insights and expertise at national, regional, and state conferences and symposiums.
CC: Why are you passionate about financial literacy?
RG: My passion for financial literacy lies in the empowerment it provides to students. When students learn the fundamentals of financial literacy they possess the knowledge, skills, ability, and confidence to put their money to work for them in whatever way they see fit. Financial empowerment and instilling confidence in students allows students to be proactive and achieve long-term financial success well beyond their college years.
CC: Can you share a story about the impact of financial education on your school’s campus?
RG: One of my biggest points of pride is the number of collaborations my team has created with both on- and off-campus partners to better serve our students. This year alone we developed over 40 campus and community partnerships. These partnerships allow us to not only connect with a greater number of students, but to provide specialized resources and financial literacy education. In developing partnerships we are able to better serve our diverse student body, from athletes, veterans, to non-traditional students and others. Our partners help ensure that our services are impactful. Through our partnerships we have a developed a referral system that brings more students into coaching sessions and provides them the opportunity to develop a financial plan that helps them achieve financial success. It is through a partnership with our College of Business FIREL Department that the university was awarded a $60,000 TD Ameritrade Grant. Embedded in the grant was an internship program. Our center was selected as the placement site for the new program. Not only was this the first TD Ameritrade Grant ever awarded to the university, but also the program is the first College of Business-sanctioned internship program within our division.
JoElyn Krohn
JoElyn Krohn is a 2017 CashCourse Financial Educator of the Year honorable mention. Her work has been featured previously as a CashCourse success story. Read more about her work on the Martin Luther College campus.
About JoElyn:
JoElyn graduated with a degree in Elementary Education in 2003, but struggled to find her passion for a career. She tried many different fields (flying the friendly skies as a flight attendant, helping patients as a medical assistant, working in hospitality) and finally ended up in higher education at Cornell University. She enjoyed working with college students but still wanted to find her niche. In 2009, she moved back to Minnesota and started her work in financial aid at St. Olaf College. JoElyn began to assist with the financial literacy initiatives on campus and truly found her passion. Not only did she want to help students understand how to finance their college education, but she also wanted to help them become financially independent after college. In 2015, she began her work at Martin Luther College where she was able to take that passion and create a financial literacy program. The program has been very successful helping students graduate college with a better understanding of their personal finances (focusing on saving, loans, credit, and investing). Each graduating student meets one on one with JoElyn and creates a personalized budget based on estimated income and expenses. She has found her niche!
CC: Why are you passionate about financial literacy?
JK: I am passionate about financial literacy because I was that oblivious college student that did not think about finances and made so many mistakes early on in my life. I didn’t have a plan for paying for college and borrowed more than I needed in student loans. I always worked a part time job, but I never had a budget and always seemed to run out of money. I want to help students learn from my mistakes and gain the skills necessary to manage their finances appropriately. The habits that students make with their finances in college can have lasting effects, so I want to help them create positive, healthy habits that assist them in the future.
CC: Can you share a story about the impact of financial education on your school’s campus?
JK: I recently received this email from a student:
“Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for doing my budget with me last month. It has made me feel a little better about going out to the real world. Thank you for everything you do!”
I’ve also received such positive feedback from students on the survey responses after the Senior meetings. This was an anonymous response to the survey question “What is the biggest take-away from your one-on-one meeting':
“I thought the budget plan that JoElyn created and walked me through was a great tool and experience. It really helped me gain a perspective on all the different financial areas I have to give attention to and it honestly comforted me by walking through each category and estimating a budget for each. Although I know I have a lot more to learn, I thought this was the most beneficial in preparing for my financial future with my husband and in taking the necessary and appropriate steps for healthy financial living.”
Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head
Dr. Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head is a 2017 CashCourse Financial Educator of the Year honorable mention. Read more about her work at the South Dakota State University Extension.
About Lorna:
Lorna is the Family Resource Management Field Specialist for SDSU Extension. In her role, she works with consumers to improve their resource management knowledge and skills. Her work revolves around managing financial resources. Lorna developed a financial wellness program called WorkWi$e at the Worksite that focuses on basic financial management concepts that can help employees reduce financial stress and increase workplace productivity. Additionally, she conducts sessions on campus for college students on topics related to financial wellness.
Prior to working with SDSU Extension, Lorna was an assistant professor in the consumer affairs program at SDSU, where she taught courses on resource management and financial planning. Lorna also taught Family and Consumer Sciences at the middle and high school level for 10 years. Her research interests are family resource management, financial well-being, financial literacy and capability, and food security.
Lorna earned a Doctorate in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from Iowa State University, a Master’s in Adult Education from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor’s in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from South Dakota State University. She is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC©), and a Certified in Family and Consumer Sciences (CFCS) and Certified Personal and Family Financial Educator (CPFFE) through the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
CC: Why are you passionate about financial literacy?
LSWH: I am passionate about teaching financial literacy because I was not very good at managing my finances as a teenager and young adult. I have learned that one size does not fit all in regard to the best approach to managing finances. Through teaching and programming, I want to help consumers become financially capable and financially secure no matter their income level or net worth.
CC: Can you share a story about the impact of financial education on your school’s campus?
LSWH: In my experience working with college students, I have often heard that information being taught is a class is never going to be used “in real life”. A student, who took a personal financial management course, contacted me about two years after he graduated. He had just reviewed his retirement plan that was a benefit of his job. He was very excited when he realized how much savings he had accumulated in the short period of time and attributed it to what he had learned about saving early and taking advantage of employer-sponsored retirement plans.