Teen-led initiative connects classrooms, builds real-world skills during Financial Literacy Month
For the third year, the Jump$tart Teen Teach program at Huron High School is helping young students learn budgeting, saving, and investing—while inspiring a student-led non-profit.
Three members of the Huron High School Investment Club led interactive lessons for all three fifth-grade classes at Thurston Elementary on Tuesday, as part of a nationwide effort through the Jump$tart Teen Teach-In Challenge to promote financial literacy among younger students.
The visit is tied to Financial Literacy Month in April, when schools across the country look for ways to introduce students to money management, saving, and investing. Through the Jump$tart Foundation, high school students are encouraged to step into teaching roles, translating complex financial ideas into lessons younger students can understand.
The program’s roots run deeper than a single annual event. What began as a classroom activity during the sophomore years of senior Smrithi Arcot and Sean Miao has since grown into something much larger. Inspired by their first experience teaching, the pair co-founded the Financial Youth Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding financial literacy education.
For Huron business and finance teacher Melissa Gordon, the annual visit has become both a tradition and a point of pride.
“Over the last three years, Smrithi and Sean have really taken the lead on all of this,” Gordon said. “They ended up starting their own nonprofit… and I’ve noticed a great deal of leadership and collaboration with them. They’re going out and talking to adults, then talking to students who are much younger than them—and those are all the skills we talk about in school, but they’re actually out there practicing.”
At Thurston, that meant keeping things simple, interactive, and engaging.
“One of the most valuable things I’ve learned is being interactive and patient,” said Sean. “These are topics they haven’t really interacted with much before, so it’s important to guide them and make things fun so they stay engaged.”
“Up to date,” said Smrithi, “we’ve taught over 3,000 students through our teach-ins… and it’s just been a real blessing to see kids learn about financial literacy and the impact that it has on their lives.”
Their work has extended beyond Ann Arbor, reaching students in other communities and even outside Michigan. Still, returning to Thurston carried special meaning.
“We’re really excited to kind of end our senior year doing it again where it all started,” said Smrithi.
For underclassmen like sophomore Kanishka Gupta, the experience offers a glimpse into both leadership opportunities and future career paths. Kanishka, who plans to pursue a career in finance, said Huron’s academic programs have helped build that foundation.
“I feel like Huron has tons of resources to allow you to do whatever it is that you want to do,” Kanishka said. “It’s a great place.”
Throughout the sessions held consecutively in the three fifth-grade classrooms, the younger students asked and answered questions, worked through examples, and learned the basics of saving and investing.
For Gordon, that peer-to-peer connection is what makes the program so effective and meaningful.
“It’s been fun to see them grow,” she said, “and we want to increase the community aspect of personal finance and what we can do from here on.”
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