Real-life lessons in work and money

All Daniel Agundiz expected going in was to have a fun time with his friends.

But this, it turned out, was no ordinary fifth-grade field trip. Junior Achievement's Tulsa BizTown would pack a lot more meaning into the experience.

"I remember how much I enjoyed helping people and feeling like I had a real responsibility," said Agundiz, whose pretend job for the day was at a Bank of Oklahoma working model.

"It wasn't just playing anymore to me. I felt like I was part of something important."

Looking back today, Agundiz, who grew up to become a real banker for Bank of Oklahoma, is more grateful than ever for the BizTown experience, which he credits with opening his eyes to what was possible. He plans to pay it back soon as a Junior Achievement volunteer.

A nonprofit that helps young people learn about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through hands-on programs, Junior Achievement has enjoyed a long and productive relationship with BOK Financial®.

Over the years and across various markets, company employees have supported the organization as volunteers, board members and advocates. For many, it has become a practical way to help students get early exposure and build confidence around money and careers.

Real-world wake-up calls

Agundiz's experience is not unusual.

For students who participate, Junior Achievement programs often open their eyes to the world of work, money and everyday decisions, while at the same time inspiring them to think more strategically.

Monte Moore has seen it time and again over his 20-plus years volunteering with the organization.

“It’s that 'a-ha' moment when you can see that light bulb go off in their heads,” Moore said. “Maybe it needs to be reinforced later, but you know they’re going to remember parts of it.”

A process improvement consultant for BOK Financial, Moore has worked with various ages and grade levels through Junior Achievement.

At Jenks East Elementary in Jenks, where he volunteers in the classroom, the lessons are kept very basic, he said. "At that age, nobody has any idea what they want to do, so it’s about just putting a thought in their mind to what kinds of jobs people can do in the community to make it better. It doesn’t matter what job you do. The point is to get involved and do things."

From there, as students encounter other Junior Achievement offerings, the lessons grow more advanced. That's especially true in Finance Park, a program geared toward high school students where participants are assigned jobs, salaries and budgets.

Moore, who volunteers with that program as well, said students usually begin the exercise feeling confident about their assigned income. “They get excited when they get their job. Then the taxes hit—and that always takes a little bit of wind out of their sails.”

As students work through the cost of housing, food, transportation, insurance and utilities, it serves as a real-world wake-up call, he said.

“They’re like, ‘Is that really how much this costs?’” Moore said. “We say, ‘Actually no, it’s probably a little low. It's probably higher.’”

Volunteers may never know the full impact of those moments for any one student. However, for Moore, the chance that just one or two leave with something that sticks makes the effort worth it.

Even if it's only that they'll be a little smarter with money.

“I’ve seen it firsthand through my career: poor decisions early in life, especially with credit, can stick with you for your whole life," said Moore. "A little education and a little involvement to help prevent those poor decisions helps everybody. It helps the community.”

Seeing a 'different tomorrow'

For Thomas Hay, chief operating officer of consumer banking for BOK Financial, that impact is part of what has kept him connected to the organization for so long.

A longtime Junior Achievement volunteer and advocate, Hay currently serves as chairman of its Tulsa Region Board. In addition to 15-plus years of board service, he's continued working directly with youths, both in the classroom and through a variety of Junior Achievement programs.

His belief in the mission comes partly from his own experiences, he said. Hay did not participate in the program as a student. However, at an important point in his youth, three people came along separately and had a profound influence on him, he explained.

“Through the impact and counsel of other people, I saw different pathways in my own life that changed my life,” Hay said.

That's part of what he sees happening through Junior Achievement. Volunteers may only spend a few hours with students, but the encounters can still leave an impression.

People who have been involved with Junior Achievement for decades often describe it as planting a seed, Hay continued. “You don’t always get to see the treetop,” he said. “On occasion, you do.”

For Hay, Daniel Agundiz’s story feels like one of those occasions: an example of a student experience lasting far beyond the day itself.

“The fact that Daniel remembers that, to me, is the most tangible value,” Hay said. “It feels especially cool that he’s got that story and he’s part of our family at the bank.”

Still, Hay said, the larger goal is not to create future bankers.

“We’re just trying to help young folks see a different tomorrow, whatever that might look like for them,” he said.

Full circle

Each year following a session, students who worked a day at Biztown's Bank of Oklahoma often write letters to the company.

They talk about everything they learned—from how to make deposits and withdrawals, to using debit cards, to counting money and helping customers.

One recent student, in thanking BOK Financial for his first work experience, summed it up this way: "Now I know why my parents are so tired."

Agundiz was a student at Tulsa's Cooper Elementary School when BizTown provided his first taste of grown-up work. At the time, he didn't even realize he was working at a Bank of Oklahoma model, he said.

He only learned that recently—when Erica Irvine, president of Junior Achievement of Oklahoma, came into his current branch on business. Agundiz saw her Junior Achievement button and was inspired to share his field trip story. Irvine filled in the missing detail.

Upon learning where he'd been working, "in that moment, everything connected," Agundiz said. "I had started there without even realizing it, and somehow found my way back."

Agundiz hopes soon to get his first experience volunteering for BizTown. He's tried before, he said, but "it fills up so quickly." When he does, though, he knows he'll enjoy being involved, helping create meaningful experiences for youths like the one that benefited him.

"BizTown wasn't just about learning how the world works," he said. "It was about planting a seed in our little minds to become what was always meant for us."

"There was something about that experience—the sense of purpose, the interaction with people, the responsibility: It quietly shaped how I saw my future."

Learn more about volunteering opportunities with Junior Achievement in your market at jausa.ja.org.