Osceola High School is now the third county campus with a functioning credit union office, fully staffed and run by students.
Fifteen students man the campus branch, with two tellers and an administrator available each period for the last four periods of every day. While most student employees are interns, Addition Financial Credit Union, the bank sponsoring the branch, pays the two student head tellers.
“This marks the beginning of an excellent and transformative partnership that will immensely benefit our school community,” said OHS Principal Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy at a ribbon cutting held last week to celebrate the program, which opened in the fall. “By establishing this branch on our campus, [Addition Financial] provides our students with a unique opportunity to gain hands on experience in financial literacy and management. This initiative will equip our students with essential life skills and prepare them for future careers in finance and business.”
Addition Financial operates existing student branches at St. Cloud and Poinciana high schools.
Students are responsible for all aspects of running the branch, from physically opening the doors to manning the various positions. They help fellow students and other members of the Osceola High community open new accounts, and transact basic banking functions. The student interns are responsible for balancing the branches’ books, opening new accounts, and closing out at the end of the day—all the same tasks that a head teller would do in any bank. Some students also have the chance to have paid summer jobs with Addition Financial.
“When I first heard about this amazing internship opportunity with Addition Financial Credit Union at school, I felt incredibly excited and motivated,” said Melinee Patayya, one of the two student head tellers at the Osceola High branch. “I knew right away that this would be a valuable experience for me, both personally and professionally. I saw this internship as the perfect chance to gain hands on experience, to develop industry skills, and to build my network. By allowing students to run the Addition Financial Credit Union all on their own, it shows how they have responsibility and are ready for the challenges to come.”
Having Addition Financial on campus not only provides training for the students who run the branch, it also provides a place for other students to come and open the types of checking and savings accounts they will need as they enter adulthood, aided by their fellow students working in the branch. They gain basic financial literacy skills they will need as they enter adulthood. Since opening the branch, over 60 new accounts have been opened.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to help these kids out, mentor them and coach them,” said Marissa Edwards, High School Branches Team Leader for Addition Financial. “The overall buzz on campus has been incredible. They’ve been talking to many students about the opportunities they can do when they come and open an account with us and working for the next school year if they want to interview with us and be part of the program. Students are excited, the head tellers are excited.”
