LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Tates Creek High School students are learning lessons you can’t find in a textbook, and they’re making bank in more ways than one.
A new partnership with the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union is helping them save up for success after graduation.
Students are banking valuable experience for the future without ever setting foot off campus.
That’s thanks to a new student-run financial center set up inside the school. It functions as a real UK Federal Credit Union branch.
“It’s providing me with experience on my resume that I didn’t have before,” said Jaxon Lockard, a student intern. “This is my first job experience. It’s helped me fill out my resume, giving me talking points for when I’m networking. It just gives me a strong foundation for everything that involves my future.”
The center provides internships for students in the financial services pathway, offering hands-on experience before pursuing a career in banking. It’s open for anyone in the school to use.
“They can come in and get money out, they can deposit checks, they can do anything that you can do in a regular branch,” business teacher Jamie Cox said. “Our folks here can set them up and make appointments if they need loans or mortgages.”
This is the second school branch set up in the district through the credit union. There’s also one at Frederick Douglass High School.
Ryan Ross, president and CEO of UK Federal Credit Union, said financial literacy is a priceless skill, and learning becomes much more powerful with tangible experiences.
“That is a huge component that I think we, as a credit union, are able to give back to the students,” said Ross. “It translates into things they’re going to do beyond high school, whether in college, trade schools, or anything else.”
Lockard is a junior, but said he already has his sights set on a career in financial services.
“This gives me exactly what I need to work as a teller. And if I wanted to go get an associate’s in management, I could move even farther within my career opportunities,” Lockard said.
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