Boys & Girls Club of Trenton/Mercer County
Trenton, NJ

Ashley received many accolades while attending Boys & Girls Club of Trenton/Mercer County. She was her Club's Youth of the Year, Vice President of Keystone Club, named Employee of the Year for her work at the Club and was even her senior class president. Most importantly, her participation in the Money Matters program directly influenced her decision to go into the accounting field.

Ashley is now getting her Masters in General Management at Howard University, where she also completed her undergraduate degree in Accounting. She is busy studying for her CPA exam to become a certified accountant.

Because financial literacy is not always taught formally in schools, Ashley feels strongly about teaching youth in her community the basic skills she was exposed to through Money Matters. Ashley works with kids from her local community center, teaching important financial tips like saving verses spending and budgeting. She even visited a local elementary school while on Spring Break in California last year where she taught a mini course in financial literacy to students.

"I feel financial literacy is very important and not something we are always taught," Ashley says. "I learned a lot from Money Matters and want other kids to learn from programs like it. Money Matters is a great opportunity to learn about money management and provides a level of knowledge about money that your peers aren't getting."

Ashley was a 2007 recipient of the Money Matters scholarship. The scholarship helped reduce her tuition and allowed her to focus solely on school her freshman year instead of working. She was also able to use the money to buy books.

While obtaining her undergraduate degree, Ashley held two internships with Big Four accounting firm KPMG. She is co-captain of her flag football team and a graduate assistant to a dorm on campus.