Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Al Blanton
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 5.
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.
For the simulation, each student is assigned an occupation, income, debt, and a 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 visit the credit union table to discuss options and have conversations about making better financial decisions.
“During our annual New Scholar Orientation, the students participate in Bite of Reality. After I participated in the simulation as a volunteer a few years ago, I thought it would be the perfect thing to add to our orientation so that there was something useful involved in getting the students together and making sure they walked away with not only information about their scholarship, but also some life skills,” said Holly Trawick, President of the Walker College Foundation. “This is our third year to include Bite of Reality in our orientation, and its going great!”
The event was made possible through the efforts of several community volunteers who contributed their time and expertise, including:
- Heather Gann – AlaTrust Credit Union
- April Barnett – AlaTrust Credit Union
- Al Blanton – Blanton Media Group
- Dr. Kim Ennis – KME Consulting
- Doug Hartley – Bevill State Community College
- Brandy Hill – Mosquito Authority
- Beth Kennedy – Jasper High School
- Paul Kennedy – Walker Area Community Foundation
- Ashleigh Keeton – Pinnacle Bank
- Liz Lavelle – Baptist Health Walker Hospital
- Kristen Oden – Baptist Health Walker Hospital
- Dr. Mary Slaughter – Walker County Schools
- Holly Trawick – Walker College Foundation
To learn more about the Walker College Foundation, visit www.wcfdn.org.
Click here to learn more about AlaTrust Credit Union’s education initiatives. WL
