YISD honors student financial literacy, scholarship recipients

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - Ysleta Independent School District and One Main Financial were joined by State Senator Cesar Blanco to honor a dozen students for their financial literacy and award five schoarships.

The Credit Worthy Program is a free financial education program that shows high school students the importance of developing healthy and smart spending choices.

"They're our next generation. They need to have the financial skill sets to go out in the world and to make decisions on an everyday basis," said Paola Garcia Abbo, Vice President and Head of Impact at One Main Financial. "These are things that I wish I had in high school," she added.

The program teaches students the meaning of a credit score and its importance on their financial future in college and life after school.

The organization also selected five high school seniors to receive a $1,000 scholarship. Students submitted essays explaining how they would utilize the skills they learn in a "real world" setting. Some spoke of their own family's financial struggles and they lesson they learned.

The program teaches students skills that are not learned in a regular classroom setting, but are important in their lives.

"The biggest feedback that we've heard is that it's having an impact and it's helping them set a good foundation to get on the right financial foot," Abbo said.