Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA

Kainen is a sophomore at University of Washington, planning to double major in business and social welfare. Last summer, he interned with Boeing in their financial warranty department for airplanes. He put together estimates and also managed a $10,000 event budget for the diversity council, a committee that hosted big events at his Boeing site and promoted diversity among employees.

Kainen has also secured an internship with Big Four accounting firm, KPMG this coming summer. He wants to use business to solve social problems, either by starting or working for a non-profit organization, consulting for minority-owned businesses or perhaps becoming a social worker and opening up his own practice.

With all his goals and accomplishments thus far, Kainen admits he couldn't have done it without the financial knowledge he gained through Money Matters at Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound.

"Money Matters helped me budget my financial aid and even made me aware of how to shop so I get things for my dorm room at thrift stores," he says. "I come from a low-income family, so the Money Matters scholarship helped a lot. And the program gave me practical information that I'll need for my future."

Before he started Money Matters, Kainen admits he knew little about finance, but was able to come out of the program knowing how to budget the money he was earning and came up with creative ways to save money when shopping. He also says some of the most important things he learned were how different types of banks function, how interest rates work, how to build credit and properly write a check.

He also uses the skills he learned in Money Matters to teach his little sister about proper budgeting and how to save money so she can buy large items she needs. He jokes, "I've been working on her."

Along with his internships, Kainen is very involved at his university. He is a resident advisor for his dorm and as a freshman participated on his student government hall counsel and executive counsel for his dorm. He was also on two resident election subcommittees, plays several intramural sports and volunteers in a high school business program where he talks about his college experience and shares key learnings with high school students interested in business.