Inspired Students Explore Financial Futures at Invest in Girls Finale

Fifty students from four North Carolina high schools gathered at Fidelity Investments Friday for the grand finale of Invest in Girls, a program of the Council for Economic Education facilitated in North Carolina by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE). The financial literacy initiative, done in partnership with Fidelity, helps young women take control of their financial futures while learning about finance career paths.

Students heard from Fidelity employees who work in tech, HR and trading. They toured Fidelity’s gorgeous RTP campus, making stops at the company’s maker space as well as its career center. Volunteers from the Fidelity Cares program led the group through a personal branding exercise that used self-reflection as a way of improving job interview skills. Certificates recognized students for completing the program, which runs statewide during each school year.

Students met a helpful robot outside Fidelity’s maker space

Invest in Girls is designed to close a known gap. Research shows that, while young women often match their male peers in financial knowledge, they report lower confidence in managing their money. Through classroom instruction, mentorship, and real-world experiences like the Fidelity site visit, students gain practical knowledge about saving, investing and long-term financial planning.

For many students, Invest in Girls has changed how they think about money and their future. Jalia Branch, a student at Cumberland International Early College High School, said her family rarely if ever talks about finances. “When I started this program, I didn’t really know what a credit card was and I didn’t know how a credit score could impact your everyday life. This program helped me realize there’s more to finances than getting up, working a job and paying your bills.”

Sidney Hamilton (L) with friends Carolina Mitchell (center) and Ana Bolaños (R)

Finance was always a topic of interest to Sidney Hamilton, a senior at Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy. But she never really grasped basic concepts until now. “My parents talked a lot about the market crash of 2008. They tried to teach me about finances but they always talked about it in such adult terms. Invest in Girls explained it in a way I could understand.” Sidney, who intends to be a lawyer, says she would consider combining law with financial services, something that would never previously have occurred to her.

When Madison Coleman, a student from Cross Creek Early College at Fayetteville State University, first saw a flyer for the program, she thought it was an investment club. “I went to a meeting and realized it was practical advice on how you pay your bills and manage your money. It made me reflect on what type of money person I am. I always thought I was a spender but it turns out I’m more balanced between spending and saving.”

Christel Early, a social studies teacher at Cumberland International Early College HS, says the experience can be transformational for her students. “The majority of the girls in our program are African American. They may initially think there aren’t opportunities for them here but then they get here and they see opportunities not only for employment but for advancement through the organization. Many of them leave here saying ‘I want to work for Fidelity.’”

Natasha Sell, a teacher at Cross Creek Early College High School, echoes Early. “Doing the program gives students a clear idea of how they could make a career out of financial services.”

Teacher Christel Early (far left) and student Jalia Branch (2nd from left) with the group from Cumberland International Early College HS

According to Stephanie Cales of NCCEE, programs like Invest in Girls can have long-lasting effects. “Through Invest in Girls, I’ve seen girls discover career paths they’ve never heard of, make concrete budgets and savings plans, and learn about scholarship and internship opportunities through Fidelity. A couple of students have even been awarded full scholarships as a result. Starting early gives these young women a life-changing head start at building financial success and resilience compared to their peers.” Cales notes that improving financial literacy among young women helps build confidence, independence and stronger long-term financial outcomes.

As we bid goodbye to this group of Invest in Girls students, we’re already looking forward to next year as we continue our efforts to help create a more financially informed younger generation.