JP Morgan Chase sponsored an interactive event on the Yard for students to educate themselves on different aspects of financial literacy. The event began at noon and lasted for three hours as hundreds of students participated in the activities.
The event, held on Sept. 9, featured resume reviews, interview preparation, and networking opportunities for internships and jobs at the company. Students also ate food provided by local food trucks and restaurants sponsored by Chase Bank.
The bank set up games such as Jenga and cornhole to provide an interactive platform for students to learn communication and professional skills beneficial to them as they progress through college and adulthood.
By awarding play tokens after each win at a game, students could exchange the tokens for different merchandise such as t-shirts, water bottles and stickers. Through this, students learned how to budget, save, and responsibly spend their tokens.
Kristina Sicard, vice president and senior banking consultant, focused on minority entrepreneurs at JP Morgan Chase said, “The event was created to allow students of color to learn the necessary skills required to prosper financially in today’s day and age. By having games and prizes, we hope that students will not only have a chance to learn but also have fun while learning.”
Lexie Ryan, a sophomore biology major from Dallas, said the event was “fun, exciting and offered many opportunities for students like me to understand why it is important to be financially literate. Learning how to budget and measure my expenses is something I learned over freshman year. Now, I am more cognizant of my expenditure and plan my activities around that.”
According to Consumer Finance, “Developing financial knowledge, skills, and habits is an important stepping stone on young people’s path to adult financial well-being.”
Jojo Evans, a marketing ambassador for JP Morgan Chase Bank, told The Hilltop that “Offering students several professional and career development opportunities this early on in the career will help them build confidence about their skills.”
As per an article published by Deloitte, an international professional service firm, “despite a strong labor market, some workers will need to learn new skills for new careers.”
Sophomore mechanical engineering major Myles Mackie said, “The workshops Chase had are definitely an opportunity for all students to take advantage of and boost their self-confidence. With internship season coming up, this has been a very helpful experience.”
Kaie Hall, a sophomore chemical engineering major, said, “I think the partnership between JP Morgan Chase and Howard will definitely have long-lasting effects. In my opinion, this is a great step for Howard, its students, and faculty because of the networking, job placement, and overall career enrichment opportunities.”
In Sept. 2021, American multinational investment bank JP Morgan Chase announced a new collaboration with Howard University. As part of the Howard Forward plan, the partnership aims to provide support as the University’s primary bank.
In an article published by the University, President Wayne A.I. Frederick said, “…naming JP Morgan Chase as our primary operating bank, we are deepening an already impactful partnership in ways that will drive clear and measurable success across the Howard University community and move us closer to achieving our Howard Forward strategic plan.”
Copy edited by Nhandi Long-Shipman
