The goal of Jennifer’s Gold Award project was to teach girls, ages 15-18, how to become financially independent. She coordinated a hands-on workshop with local experts that focused on the importance of maintaining a budget and living within your means. Topics included how to save money, creating a budget, investing, credit cards, interest rates and learning good spending habits. Presenters created real world scenarios for the girls to illustrate the impact of their financial decisions. When one of the presenters had to cancel at the last minute, Jennifer dealt with a stressful situation by “believing in myself and coming up with an alternate plan.” Ultimately the event was a success and she is working to ensure the program is conducted annually. Jennifer is the daughter of James and Gwendolyn of Madison and graduated from Catholic High School in May 2009. She is currently attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
