"The financial education program helped me prioritize my needs and wants so I can achieve my goal of earning a college degree with minimal student loan debt. I now have confidence that I am in charge of my financial destiny, and that achieving financial freedom at a young age is possible."
Arianna A.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Frisco, Texas

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Charles Schwab Foundation announces Arianna A. from Frisco, Texas will serve as the 2018-19 National Ambassador for the Money Matters financial education program and receive a $5,000 scholarship. Now in its 14th year, the Money Matters program teaches the basics of personal finance and the importance of an early start to financial responsibility.

A member of the Boys & Girls Club of Frisco, Arianna says the Club "threw me a lifeline when I was a troubled teen." At the Club, Arianna has developed important character and leadership skills to help her thrive personally and academically. The Money Matters program taught Arianna how to manage her finances for success as a young person and well into the future.

"The financial education program helped me prioritize my needs and wants so I can achieve my goal of earning a college degree with minimal student loan debt," she said. "I now have confidence that I am in charge of my financial destiny, not my parents or corporations, and that achieving financial freedom at a young age is possible. The Money Matters course taught me to examine my financial habits closely and to prioritize spending and manage monthly budgets. Although not easy, I developed healthy financial habits to help manage my monthly expenses. I now track how much I spend and save on a weekly basis so I can adjust my budgeting on a monthly basis."

Arianna mentors other children in the community through her involvement as a Keystone Club officer (a community service organization within Boys & Girls Clubs), drill team leader, National Honor Society member, and the 2018 Youth of the Year for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County. She is already sharing her newfound financial literacy with others. "I have shared the importance of saving, budgeting, investing and financial independence with my friends and family," Arianna said.

With a current 4.0 GPA, Arianna plans to major in finance at the University of Texas at San Antonio. After graduating, she hopes to start her own business with a focus on community service. Arianna wants to teach entrepreneurship classes to other young people, so they can create jobs and become community leaders.

"Given the right opportunity and mentoring, everyone has the potential to contribute something positive to their community," she said. "I aspire to serve my community in ways that bring positive changes to the lives of young people in America."

2018-19 Money Matters Scholarship Recipients
In addition to Arianna, 10 other Boys & Girls Club teens will receive $2,500 scholarships for their outstanding personal finance leadership skills.

• Arturo Corona, Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson (Carson, CA)
• Ellen Lao, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
• Enoch Dumas, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
• Everardo Guizar-Valencia, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
• Irene Dominque, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
• Jannely Nunez, Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson (Carson, CA)
• Joey Tran, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
• Kimberly Garcia, Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson (Carson, CA)
• Lyric Carter-Perry, Boys & Girls Clubs of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)
• Maria Reyes, Boys & Girls Clubs of El Paso (El Paso, TX)