Becoming a college student can arise the need to know how to balance your finances.
Bakersfield College (BC) is paving the way for its students to gain the knowledge and
skills of financial stability. This February every Wednesday from 11am-12pm
in the Levan Center, the Office of Student Life will hold a Financial Wellness Series with
lunch provided. In hopes of students in attendance become informed of their own
financial capabilities.
This series discussed new topics each Wednesday. Joe Garcia, VP for Business
Development Manager lll at Tri Counties Bank and the speaker for this workshop,
brought topics such as debt management, independent living, financial building, cost
cutting strategies, setting saving goals, understanding taxes, and much more. Garcia
also left time for the listeners to ask questions, along with leaving resources to
contact him down the line if needed.
Caitlin Davidson, the program director for Office of Student life explains, “Financial
literacy equips students with the skills and tools needed to make informed financial
decisions. Through this series, we want to empower students with the knowledge to
manage their income, expenses, and debt effectively.”
Garcia expressed, knowing the foundational pieces of understanding your personal
finances are crucial. Garcia expressing that, gaining this information brings benefits to help others and understanding it makes it easier to now flex the information going forward.
When asking listeners of this workshop why they chose to attend, Johana Soils, a
sophomore at BC said, “…financial literacy is something not everyone talks about… it’s
really hard to get accurate and helpful information. From this event I’ve learned a lot, a
lot like credit, what are soft and hard inquiries, and knowing the different types of
assets.”
If you would like to find more information on your personal finances, The Office of
Financial Aid will be offering a free financial literacy course with CashCourse.
Davidson explains this is an option students could complete at their own pace and on
their own time. Bakersfield College puts on many workshops and events throughout the year, in hopes to benefit their students. To find what will most interest you, you can visit Bakersfield College website.