By Audrey Ze//
Hood College students are gaining the opportunity to strengthen their financial knowledge this semester through a partnership between the George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business and the Wellness Office.
Together with M&T Bank, the offices are hosting a series of Financial Literacy Workshops designed to build practical skills and foster long-term financial confidence.
The series launched on Sept. 10 with sessions on Banking Basics and Budgeting on Sept. 17, and continued with Making Budgets Work on Sept. 24. Upcoming sessions include Credit Scores & Reports on Oct. 1 and Investing on Oct. 8.
Students who attend all five sessions will earn a Financial Wellness certificate.
Mahesh Joshi, dean of the Delaplaine School of Business, said, “The long-term impact of offering financial literacy workshops to Hood College students lies in appreciating money as a resource and a fundamental understanding of achieving financial wellness and stability.”
Joshi explained that regardless of their major, students who gain financial literacy skills will be better equipped to manage expenses and debt, which in turn can reduce stress, sharpen their focus on academics, and support their career goals.
Joshi added that the workshops align closely with the school’s mission and with three of the four pillars of Hood College—Hope, Opportunity, and Obligation.
From the health and wellness perspective, office Director Amanda Dymek said that: “While many people think of wellness as physical and mental health, there are actually many other factors that can contribute to our wellbeing. Hood promotes a model of wellness that encompasses eight dimensions of well-being, with financial wellness being one of them. We feel that this is the most comprehensive and holistic when it comes to student wellbeing.”
She pointed out that “financial literacy is crucial for student wellness because money and our finances play an important role in our lives and can impact many other dimensions of wellbeing. For example, if a student has set a realistic budget, they may be more stressed when bills or other expenses come up. They may also feel that their social health is impacted if their friends want to go out to eat rather than use their meal plan in the dining hall.”
Dymek also noted that creating healthy financial habits now can set students up for success later in life.
“Students might be able to start saving a little money to pay off student loans sooner,” she said. “If they want to live on their own after college, they can start saving for rent. And the earlier someone starts saving for retirement the more money they are likely to have when they are ready to stop working.”
The workshops are designed to meet students where they are in their financial journeys. She noted that the workshops walk students through basic financial literacy skills, such as banking and budgeting, and into more complex topics such as credit scores and investing. “We hope that students leave these workshops, whether they attend all or one lesson, feeling more confident in their ability to reach their financial goals,” she said.
Workshops are free, run from 4:30 to 6 p.m., and are open to all Hood students. Registration is available via the QR code on the flyer or through the Wellness Office.
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