BTA Event Offers Teens Information on Personal Finance

WINTERVILLE�Pitt Community College, Pitt County Schools and the First Flight Federal Credit Union�s Financial Freedom Club co-sponsored a program this month to teach local teens the basics of personal finance.

The event, part of the Pitt County Business & Technology Academy (BTA), was held March 11 in PCC�s Robert Lee Humber Building. Fifty-three high school freshman, sophomores and juniors attended along with their high school advisors.

Karen Mozingo, department chair of PCC�s Business Administration program, helped organize the seminar and said each student that attended took part in sessions on financial aid, personal finance, and loan and credit card issues.

�With today�s changing economic environment, we felt it was important to get information in front of these students as soon as possible,� Mozingo said.

In �Financial Aid 101,� Angela Cline, a PCC Financial Aid representative, teamed with the Pitt County Council on Aging�s Maureen McNamara to discuss the types of financial aid available for higher education, the financial aid application process, and potential loan repayment issues.

�As more and more families are tightening their budgets, they are having to look for other sources of funding for college expenses,� Mozingo said. �(Financial Aid 101) went very well; there were a lot of questions about applying for financial aid.

�They were also interested in the personal stories provided about the pitfalls of the financial aid process, especially in the repayment area.�

BB&T�s Jane Whealton and Ashley Watkins led the �Personal Finance� discussion and spoke with students about opening checking and savings accounts. Whealton and Watkins also discussed balancing checkbooks and the differences between credit unions and banking institutions.

In �Loans, Credit Cards and Scams,� First Flight�s Shannon Hudzinski explained the significance of credit scores and how the students� financial decisions today could impact those scores in the future. Hudzinski also warned students about credit card scams.

Mozingo said due to the financial symposium�s success, event organizers would �definitely� consider offering it again in the future.

Started in 2006, BTA is a four-year, high school curriculum that provides courses for students pursuing business, finance and information technology-related careers. Academy partners include PCC, Pitt County Schools, East Carolina University, the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce, Pitt County Memorial Hospital and local business and industry.

In addition to their academic coursework, BTA students participate in internships, job shadowing, community service efforts, tours of local businesses, summer institutes and seminars like the one offered at PCC this month.

03/19/2009