Central Unified students take on Golden 1 Credit Union's Financial Wellness Challenge

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Students at Central East High School in Fresno are getting a real-world experience.

They are taking part in Golden 1 Credit Union's Financial Wellness Challenge.

The event teaches youth about handling finances in hypothetical scenarios.

Alyssa Fite is the Family and Consumer Science teacher at the High School.

"Our goal is that all of our students will be successful in the real world, and we want them to practice now when we are talking about fake money, fake bills and fake expenses," says Alyssa.

She describes this challenge as an effort to combat cultural norms, where finances might not be openly talked about.

"There are some cultural values tied to finances and money and sometimes, in some families, it is a topic like religion or politics -- you just don't talk about it so sometimes, that might be a challenge," Alyssa describes.

Ruby Strong is a Central East High School Senior.

She has been randomly assigned to be a single parent of a five-year-old.

Her job as a psychologist makes her $5,000 a month.

Her assignment hits close to home since she was raised by a single mother.

Ruby mentions, "It has been very eye-opening seeing how real life happens. I have taken senior math, so I kind of got the gist of it. But it is very interesting to see."

Golden 1 Credit Union's Financial Wellness Challenge started in 2019.

Megan Kolofer works behind the scenes to make this happen across Central Valley towns.

"We are excited to be here because we see the difference it is making with our youth in the various communities that we serve," says Megan.

Golden 1 Credit Union offers their financial literacy challenge for free. You can click here to learn more.