(Somerville, MA) Naveo Credit Union member Madeleine Trowbridge was a finalist in the annual Cooperative Credit Union Association’s 7th & 8th Grade Student Essay Contest. Trowbridge was one of seven finalists, selected out of over 700 entries from the across the state. This is the second consecutive year a Naveo member has been selected as a winner or finalist.

This year’s essay topic was, “Whether it's grammar, math, science, or social studies, students are taught many different topics in schools today, but there's one glaring gap — financial education. Many students graduate high school not understanding about the basics of loans, savings, credit, and other core financial issues. Shouldn't Financial Literacy be taught in schools? Please explain why you think schools should add financial literacy as a core curriculum in our school systems and what benefits it would have for society?” Trowbridge, a student at St. Charles School in Woburn, MA, chose to write that, “Financial literacy is a life skill that everyone should learn and understand. As the students become adults, they have more responsibilities involving money, such as paying for school, buying a car and saving for a house.” She went on to say, “Learning financial literacy promotes healthy and smart decision making.”

Trowbridge, six other finalists and the contest winner were honored at an award luncheon hosted by the Cooperative Credit Union Association and sponsoring credit unions on June 8 in Marlborough. As a finalist, Trowbridge was presented with a $250 check along with an award certificate from the CCUA. In addition, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karen Polito took time to applaud Trowbridge and the other finalists by providing each with gubernatorial citations. Lawmakers in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate representing each student’s hometown praised their student constituents with personal messages and legislative citations as well.

“Congratulations to Madeleine and all the student essay contest finalists. We applaud the students who submitted entries with great ideas on how to implement financial literacy into traditional school curriculum. More so than ever, it is critical to teach our youth about financial literacy in preparation for college and when they are on their own. Madeleine hit on several key points in her essay – money management, credit and how financial literacy is a ‘life skill.’” commented Rui F. Domingos, Chief Executive Officer at Naveo Credit Union.