By: David Lee
Ray High School
To be a Teenager in America means to collectively shoulder a total of $144.9 billion dollars in college debt. Financial literacy isn’t an additive to preparing high school students for the real world; it’s a necessity. This is why Delegate Laila Nahvi, a senior from Vista Ridge High School has proposed a bill to make financial literacy a course requirement for high school.
Nahvi, a high school senior, understands firsthand the importance of financial literacy. From a family of triplets, her household has to carry the immense financial burden of sending 3 children to college at the same time. Nahvi expresses her sentiments of a lack of financial awareness in her high school community, “most high school students aren’t aware of the intricacies of financial literacy”. Nahvi’s personal experience and numerous extracurricular activities related to financial literacy demonstrates her passion. These include meeting with members of the Bank of America, being a part of the Austin City Counsel, and an internship with the city of Austin.
The facts echo delegate Nahvi’s sentiment. According to the IFAC, Americans collectively lost a total of 330 billion dollars due to financial illiteracy. Another surprising statistic according to NEFE, only 1 in 5 high school students can answer basic financial literacy questions. In the age of predatory loaning, FASFA, scholarships, and the student debt crisis, this is a daunting issue. Nahvi urged her fellow delegates to pass her bill, and a unanimous vote erupted in her favor, showing the relevance of this pressing issue.
