Long after the classroom: The difference a mentor makes
August 5, 2026
Every teenager has questions about money. How do I choose my first credit card? How do I budget? Can I afford college? How do I invest?
For many young people, there isn’t always someone at home who can answer those questions. That’s where a Money Coach volunteer can make all the difference.
At a recent SecureFutures Your Two Cents event hosted by Godfrey & Kahn, five Money Coach alumni reflected on the mentors who helped shape their financial futures. While each student’s story was unique, they all shared one common thread: the adults who volunteered their time didn’t just teach financial concepts; they became trusted guides whose influence continues years after the program ended.
More than a classroom volunteer
For Angelina Yang, Money Coach provided something she couldn’t find anywhere else.
“My parents, they don’t really talk about finance,” she said. “I really wanted to use this opportunity at school to educate myself on money and how to manage it.”
Her volunteer coach became someone she could count on.
“Coach Tyler was always very welcoming and always willing to break down complicated terms,” Angelina said. “Even now I try to check in with him and ask him questions I have on credit cards.”
For Keriay Osman, who refers to her coach as “Money Mike”, that relationship became even more personal.
“Instead of calling my parents because they don’t really have that knowledge, I called Money Mike,” she said. “He helped me open my first credit card. He helped me figure out what to do with my student loans. I honestly don’t think I would have managed my first year in college as well if it wasn’t for Money Mike.”
It’s hard to measure the impact of a volunteer, but moments like these make it clear that the relationship often extends far beyond the classroom.
A safe space to ask the questions that matter
While the alumni agreed that the curriculum was extremely valuable, the greatest benefit to them was the conversations.
Unlike a traditional personal finance class, students sit alongside volunteer mentors from a variety of professions who openly share their own financial experiences, successes, and even mistakes.
“With Money Coach, we had to put what we were learning into practice,” Keriay said. “It was really more interactive.”
“They emphasized that this is a safe space,” said Pamela Kankonde. “Talking about money can be a sensitive topic. They were very vulnerable, and I think having that open space was very helpful for high school students.”
That openness changed the way students learned.
Confidence that lasts
The knowledge students gain in the Money Coach program doesn’t stay in the classroom.
Laniya Leonard said Money Coach gave her the confidence to make important financial decisions.
“The program gave me the knowledge of what credit is. I began budgeting during the program, and that very much was the foundation of building my business.”
The Money Path academic and financial planning tool used in the program also helped her explore career options and choose a major that aligned with her goals.
“It helped me figure out what I wanted for myself,” she said. “It was very much foundational in picking my major at Marquette.”
Pamela still relies on the folder of financial resources she received during the program.
“I still have that folder now,” she said. “Each time I learn new things about money, I just go back to it and write it down. It has become like my financial diary.”
The ripple effect
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the evening was seeing how the guidance students received is now being shared with others.
Dejah Russell-Bannister, who participated in Money Coach in 2018, now serves as Assistant Director of Career Readiness at Carmen Northwest, the same school where she was once a student.
She helped her younger sisters understand financial aid packages, build credit responsibly, and prepare for college.
“SecureFutures and the Money Coach program helped me, so now I can help them,” she said.
Laniya has become the financial resource within her own friend group.
“I’ve definitely shared what I learned with my entire friend group,” she said, explaining how she’s helped friends understand student loans and encouraged her boyfriend to begin building credit responsibly before leaving for military training.
The difference a mentor makes
When asked what she would tell someone considering supporting Money Coach, Keriay’s answer wasn’t about financial education alone.
“Money Coach genuinely helps every student,” she said. “A lot of students have no knowledge about anything financial. Money Coach helps students who genuinely need the help.”
Laniya agreed.
“This program gives people who don’t have the opportunity to learn about financial literacy a very good foundational knowledge, and it gives them the resources to have a support system to go back to.”
For the volunteers who step into a classroom each week, it’s easy to think they’re teaching students about budgeting, credit, or saving. But years later, students remember something more.
They remember the adult who listened without judgment. The mentor who answered the question they were afraid to ask. The person they could still call when life became more complicated than a classroom lesson.