Youth Finance University
By Princeton Lok and WA DECA
NAP Contributor
I am Princeton Lock, a junior at Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington. I am reaching out to share an exciting initiative. It aims to make a difference in the community by teaching young people essential financial literacy skills. As part of a Washington DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) project, founded in 1946, WA DECA is a program that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers. It teaches marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. Our team of three has launched “Youth Finance University”. It is a free program offering financial education sessions for kids in elementary and middle school at local libraries.
The three of us 16-year-old students have experience tutoring at Kumon Education Company and Mathnasium Learning Center, although it is our first time teaching finance. I am the lead educator, as I have the most financial knowledge and strongest financial track record. (I have an e-commerce background and consistently outperformed the S&P 500 index every year since I was 12). Other team mentors include Nik Bhotika and William Ross, who have strong math and analytical skills as demonstrated by their rigorous course load at Newport.
Youth Finance University is a student-led effort designed to help kids understand the basics of money management. Through interactive and age-appropriate workshops, topics are introduced like saving, budgeting, and responsible spending. This aims to instill practical financial habits early on.
Princeton Lock ／Project DirectorPrinceton leads the team, spearheads outreach efforts, and designs course content, drawing on years of financial market experience since age 12 to create impactful lessons.
Nik Bhotika／Educational CoordinatorWith classroom teaching experience from Kumon and tutoring at Mathnasium, Nik customizes the curriculum to meet each student’s unique learning needs.
Will Ross／Educational CoordinatorWill oversees general instruction and regulates engagement, ensuring each and every student is having fun with each lesson while developing necessary skills.
As financial literacy becomes increasingly important, we believe it is essential to equip kids with the knowledge and skills they will need to make informed decisions in the future. By making these sessions free and accessible, we hope to support the community and foster a generation that feels empowered and financially confident.
We will continue working on this project after WA DECA, as we truly believe in impacting the community. This really is not about a project score or a grade — it is about helping the public. Over the long term, individuals with financial literacy are more likely to accumulate wealth and achieve higher income levels. Data reveals that low-income adults who participated in financial education programs saw a significant increase in net worth — up to 27 percent in some cases, according to research from Dartmouth College. In the future, we plan on expanding and scaling our initiative to recruit more teachers as we attract more students. We also plan on contacting curriculum developers across Washington State to see how they can better implement financial literacy courses within elementary and middle schools. I have reached out to middle school principals within the Bellevue School District to see if we can present at assemblies. It is hoped this initiative can benefit both the teacher and the student. It is presumed high-school teachers would gain teaching experience and the student would gain strong financial literacy skills which would benefit them in the future.
The team welcomes media coverage that could help spread the word about this project. We plan to find our potential clients/students through community outreach efforts, primarily through promotional posters at local libraries and community centers. However, the bulk of the traffic is expected to utilize our social media outreach. We plan to post on local Facebook/Nextdoor/etc. groups and create educational, short-form content on TikTok and Instagram.
At this time, this initiative is self-funded, though we are anticipating funding from our school’s WA DECA chapter. Support from local businesses or community organizations who may want to get involved is welcomed. Financial literacy is a lifelong skill. With the help of the community, we aim to inspire young people to make smart financial choices.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to highlight a project that aims to uplift the community’s youth Please check out our website for more information at: https://youthfinance.org/.
YFU — Youth Finance University
Aimed at empowering the next generation with financial literacy skills. (Youth Finance University is not an accredited university.)
Contact Us
+1 206-452-9123, Bellevue, WA
info@youthfinance.org
Follow Us
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/narcotic
Our Mission
To empower young minds with essential financial knowledge, making complex concepts accessible and engaging for students aged 7+. As a DECA PMFL (Personal Financial Literacy) project, we believe that financial education should be available to everyone, regardless of their background. That is why we offer our comprehensive program completely free of charge.
Why?
To create a future where every young person in the greater Seattle area has the financial knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their money and investments.
How?
We combine peer-to-peer learning with practical exercises and real-world examples to make financial education engaging and relevant for young learners.
When and Where?
At the moment, we are currently searching for available space to teach our lessons. Please sign up below to get updates on when and where we will be holding our classes.
WA DECA is a not-for-profit student organization that has two unique student divisions — each with programs designed to address the learning styles, interest and focus of its members.
The experience starts in the classroom where students learn business concepts in preparation for college and careers. WA DECA brings the classroom to life by empowering the teacher-advisor to make learning relevant. It uses educational programs that integrate into classroom instructions, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition. The successful integration of each four interconnected components results in a strong program producing college- and career-ready students.
WA DECA members are ambitious, high-achieving leaders equipped to conquer the challenges of their aspirations. Recognizing the benefits of service and responsibility to the community, they continually impact and improve their local and broader communities. Also, members are poised professionals with ethics, integrity and high standards. They are empowered through experience to provide effective leadership through goal setting, consensus building and project implementation.
