Jump to Content
ABA: The American Bankers Association
Skip Section Navigation

In This Section

Financial Literacy Ambassador Internship

Central Bank & Trust Co. - Lexington, KY

2023 Community Committment Awards Submission

  • Entry Category: Financial Education
  • Asset Size: Small

In collaboration with our partners at Eastern Kentucky University, we worked to create a new internship program to supplement our existing financial literacy strategy. To our knowledge, this is the first program of its kind in our area. This idea came from a conversation between EKU and our regional FDIC office, who thought Central Bank would be an ideal partner based on our existing partnership with the University and our dedication to being a leader in teaching financial literacy in our communities.

This internship is open to any student in the Banking & Financial Services program at EKU. The main goal of this program is to educate the intern and develop a high-level of understanding of many basics of financial literacy. As a result, the intern will then use that knowledge to teach financial literacy to high school students on behalf of the bank. This intern also works with our Compliance department to understand the importance of CRA credit to our institution and the qualifications needed to receive that credit. We believe this approach will not only help them understand the benefits of their position, but will hopefully increase interest in CRA and compliance careers for the younger generation.

In the program's first semester, we worked with two local high schools in Lexington, KY that both serve low and moderate income children. Throughout the semester, our intern taught financial literacy basics such as budgeting, spending, and credit to over 500 students. Through the use of presentations and games, she was able to put a fun twist on learning and to provide these students with financial tools they will be using immediately after graduation. She has also served valuable hours helping Central Bank reinvest in our community and created more opportunity for our bank to earn CRA credit.