Reality …it can be good, or it can be bad. This is just one lesson learned by Lowell High School seniors at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union’s first MoneyStrong for Life Fair. What to do when you’re 17 or 18 years old and you have to make so many life choices? That’s what students were faced with as they entered the Tsongas Center on April 25th, playing the most difficult role of their lives…themselves at age 25!
Armed with their chosen career and fictitious annual salaries, student loans, credit card debt and savings account, students perused 13 booths to make choices on transportation, clothing and housing, just to name a few. They were tempted by luxuries and participated in a community service project.
Check out the video below of the MoneyStrong for Life Fair:
Some students eagerly set out to get all the things they wanted, while others were apprehensive and overwhelmed. But never fear! In the center of the arena were a slew of friendly credit counselors ready to help out! These volunteers calculated monthly debt, advised participants on where they could make changes and sent them back to the booths to alter their choices.
As the morning progressed, decisions weighed heavily on students’ minds. And then, just when things seemed to be under control…over to the Reality Booth…dah, dah, dah…and with the spin of the bin, “life” dealt them an unexpected surprise. The outcome? Student comments included, “You need an education for better money”, “Money disappears a lot quicker than you make it” and, our favorite, “I don’t want to get old!”. In short, a crash course in reality.
