Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images courtesy of Kelsey West, Daydream Design Co.
The newest class of Walker College Foundation scholars had a unique opportunity to gain hands-on financial experience during AlaTrust Credit Union’s Bite of Reality simulation on Tuesday, August 6.
The event aimed to provide young people with essential financial literacy skills, helping them make informed decisions about their money and preparing them for real-world financial challenges.
AlaTrust Credit Union is committed to teaching young people about budgeting, saving, and other valuable financial skills. Their Bite of Reality program offers a hands-on simulation that engages students while giving them a taste of real-world financial realities through an interactive app.
Heather Gann, Branch Manager of AlaTrust Credit Union in Jasper, explained the simulation process: “Each student is assigned an occupation, income, and credit score; some are assigned a spouse and all at least one child. They visit eight merchant tables and use their income to purchase in each category.”
“If they run out of money, they come to us at the credit union table to discuss options and have conversations about making better financial decisions, then send them back to the merchants,” Gann continued. “The plus side of this simulation is that they can mess up with no real-world repercussions but still learn from their mistakes. We get great feedback from students about how this simulation helps them better perceive reality and life in the world after high school.”
The event was made possible through the efforts of several community volunteers who contributed their time and expertise, including:
– Heather Gann – AlaTrust Credit Union
– Terry Gurganus – Pinnacle Bank
– Krystal Drummond – Drummond Company, Inc.
– Melissa Stevenson – Drummond Company, Inc.
– Al Blanton – Blanton Media Group
– Shawn Morgan – Synovus
– Paul Kennedy – Walker Area Community Foundation
– Mary Beth Barber – Bevill State Community College
– Matthew Laird – River Peak Partners of Raymond James
– Beth Kennedy – Jasper High School
– Doug Hartley – Bevill State Community College
– Sharon Hogg – Rotary Club of Jasper
– Kim Ennis – KME Consulting
– Kaylee Horton – Jasper High School
– Cody Gilbert – Southern Company – WCF Scholar Graduate
– Kelsey West – The McLain Agency | Daydream Design Co.
– Kennedy Stracner – Daydream Design Co. – WCF Scholar Graduate
Holly Trawick, President of the Walker College Foundation, expressed her excitement about the event, saying, “I always look forward to our August scholarship orientation. We added the Bite of Reality budget simulation program to orientation to give the scholars a taste of managing a budget. They have fun using the app and can interact with the community volunteers who help make it happen!”
Al Blanton, a community volunteer, shared his thoughts on the event: “I think this is a great event for our local scholars and future community leaders to better understand achieving a good life balance from a financial and budgeting perspective. This is my second year to participate in the simulation, and it has been a lot of fun to interact with the foundation scholars, and I hope they have seen the benefit of it.” WL
