My name is Christie Peng and I am a senior at Northview High School. My immigrant parents encouraged me to try new experiences and as a result, I joined many activities in high school ranging from community service to honor societies. I'm currently the captain of my school's speech and debate team and Vice President of the senior class. This fall, I will be attending Georgia Tech with a major in economics. I decided to pursue a career in economics because my vision for the future is a world where all students learn fundamental life skills. When I first started working at sixteen, I realized I did not know how to operate a cash register at my job. I also didn’t know what the IRS was or how to pay taxes. I was left perplexed as I wondered about this disconnection between school lessons and the real world. Although my school offered classes such as technology and finance, they weren’t mandated, and fewer than 10% of my high school peers took those classes. As a high school senior preparing to enter college in a few months, I feel nervous about my future. Learning to balance bank accounts, avoid debt, use and acquire coupons, organize financial records, calculate tips, and make investments and purchases would be incredibly beneficial. Therefore, I will dedicate my career to improving the most important issue facing young people like me: financial literacy. I decided to educate myself by joining Future Business Leaders of America and taking AP Economics. Through FBLA, I studied lessons that introduced me to important financial concepts such as banking and supply chain management. I currently lead as the Co-President of my school’s chapter, where I serve over 250 students by hosting monthly meetings and providing mentorship in competitive events such as public speaking and social media strategies. Similarly, AP Economics introduced me to key economic concepts such as debt, inflationary expectations, and personal finance. Known for its high failure rate, most of my classmates avoided taking the class. However, the education I received from the challenging course inspired me to study economics and understand financial failures. I am also dedicated to helping my peers with the job entry process. When I turned 16, I immediately thought of applying for a job. However, many jobs require a resume and prior experience, which I did not have. Although I eventually found a minimum-wage job at a bubble tea shop, the entry process proved difficult to navigate. Noticing the lack of real-world education prompted me to get more involved with extracurriculars that focus on this area. Currently, I teach life skills to special needs students, where I help them cook dishes and solve financial math problems. Outside of classes, I spend hours mentoring my teammates in public speaking and helping my peers craft profiles on LinkedIn and review their program applications. Using my college’s resources, I’ll develop a prototype that teaches users job skills such as making strategic investments and purchases and organizing financial records. After graduation, I will also work with local governments to enforce financial literacy classes in school curriculums.