On February 27th, 10,000 Degrees provided the workshop “Money Matters” for the class of 2025. This workshop was meant to educate students on how to handle their money responsibly and budget for college. 

This event started off with a presentation that covered the basics of college finances, the purpose of the event, and how to get started. Participating students were given a guidebook with all the information necessary to start the workshop. In the guidebook, students were “accepted” into various colleges, such as Lion University as an example. All the colleges had their own financial aid packages with grants, scholarships, and loans. For instance, the Lion University financial aid package consisted of $12,570 from Cal Grant A, $6,095 from the Federal Pell Grant, $7,000 from the Lion Scholar Award, and $3,500 and $2,000 loans, both from Direct Subsidized Loans. 

After the presentation, students were able to start visiting all the individual tables and make purchases. Each table was a different expense of college, such as transportation, tuition, housing, meal plan, and more. Students then had the option to decide which version of the expense they wanted to purchase. For example, at the transportation table, students could decide between using public transportation, carpools, used vehicles, etc. The start of the list would be the cheapest option, and as it went on, the prices increased. After the decision was made, students would fill out a check in their guidebook and get it approved by the vendor. As the process went on, students would begin to understand the costs of everything and how important it was to prioritize spendings on necessary things. 

Overall, the 10,000 Degrees “Money Matters” workshop was a great way to teach students how to manage their money successfully. The engaging activities helped prepare students for the financial realities of their future college careers.