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A Career with NO Debt! The Finance Career & Leadership Academy at VNB
•Season 1•Episode 8
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How does a career with no student debt sound? Are you a junior or senior in high school? Listen as Meghan Crider, President of Educational Programs at Virginia National Bank, shares how you could be a part of the amazing Finance Career & Leadership Academy at VNB. Learn effective communication, employment readiness, and strategies to get ahead all while earning money & going to school!
If you think this opportunity could be for you or your child, we invite you to an information session on Tuesday, October 20th from 6:30-8PM and Thursday, November 5th from 6:30-8PM at Virginia National Bank’s Pantops location in Charlottesville, VA.
Please RSVP to events@vnb.comto attend one of our informational sessions.
Welcome to my Forever Bank Personal Stories with Virginia National Bank. My name is Sherry Taylor. I'm host and voice of Virginia National Bank. Today, Megan Kreider, President of Educational Programs for Virginia National Bank, joins us to talk about the amazing and free Finance, Career, and Leadership Academy for students. And so, Megan, thank you so much for being with me today. What is the Finance, Career, and Leadership Academy at Virginia National Bank?
SPEAKER_01
The Finance, Career and Leadership Academy, or FCLA, is a free, in-depth, and it's a challenging educational program developed by Virginia National Bank for high school juniors and seniors. It helps students build strong foundation in personal finance, banking, professional skills, and career readiness, getting prepared for going out into the workforce. It also provides an opportunity, a unique opportunity for young people interested in a career in banking or finance. Because the top performers in the academy are then considered for VMB's college program.
SPEAKER_00
Okay, so this is for 11th and 12th graders initially, right? And you have to apply. Yes, you do have to apply.
SPEAKER_01
And what we're looking for is highly motivated students because this is a very challenging program. Yes, it is. It is But it's very rewarding. I mean, you're learning how to build wealth, you know, you're learning how to actually get yourself to be that you can outperform your competition when you're going out there in the workforce. And it basically is an opportunity too to actually get your college degree paid for by Virginia National Bank while at the same time working for them. And all you're doing for the first like six months is doing your classes here at the bank through we do it as an online partnership. Um you get a certificate for up to it's 15 courses, 39 credit hours. Wow. Right. So you're almost getting a two years worth of schooling within your first six months. And all you're doing is coming in here and doing college, your college work, and you're getting paid full-time and with full benefits. Trevor Burrus, Jr. And you're not paying anything. No. So you are paying nothing to the You're paying nothing to the bank, you're not paying for that degree whatsoever. So it's a means of which to start building your wealth very early and get an education and make you more competitive than people your own age.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah. This is to me, this is almost like a no-brainer. It's if you've even considered finance as a career or anything. If you're even just interested in money and think how, you know, is this something I want to do, this could be the right program.
SPEAKER_01
Of course, it's it's it's open to everybody in any field they're going to. We've had people who've g got into the FCLA, the Finance Career and Leadership Academy, who've gone on to major in theater, who've gone in to major in um fine arts. Um whatever field you're going into, you need to know how to manage your money well. Yes. And how to leverage it so that your money works for you. And that's what this program does. It teaches you how to do that. It teaches you how to present yourself professionally, and then once you get a job, how to outperform your other um people that you work with so that you get promoted. And at the same time, as I said, it also offers the opportunity for us to get to look at you and for you to get a look at us. And then if you're really actually interested in a career in banking and you do well in the academy, we then consider you for the college program.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah. Okay. So then there's the college program. Correct. And then from the college program, there's the potential if you do, if this is what you want to do, and there's the potential to have a job here at Virginia National Bank.
SPEAKER_01
Well, yes. And and as I say again, when you're doing the college program, you're actually getting paid as an employee. You are an employee. You are an employee. Yes. Right. We just recently had a young man who came in, I guess it was in two years ago, and he already has his college degree done and he's been promoted twice. Wow.
SPEAKER_00
That's amazing. I know, it is. And with I mean, the cost of college, you know, just having one who did a couple of years at school, I know, I mean, it's roughly about 35 grand a year if you go full time. That's correct. And that's in state. That's correct.
unknown
Yes.
SPEAKER_00
So just multiply that by four. Um if you do a you know four years at a college. And this is just an unbelievable opportunity.
SPEAKER_01
Right. Right. And as I said, you don't have to be even you don't have to get into the college program to to benefit from this. You're gonna learn how to handle your money so that it works for you. Yes. Um and that's what the FCLA is. It's that for juniors and seniors in high school uh at this cusp in their life where they're considering to either go into the workforce or to go off to college. It opens up that idea of w of what that college is gonna cost you, how you're gonna manage your money.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah. So this program, so you don't necessarily have to want to go to college to to get into this program and do this. You just need to want to be able to handle your finances.
SPEAKER_01
Right. The high schools have done a wonderful job. The state of Virginia, wonderful job in the sense that that actually are one of the first states to c say that you needed to have a personal finance class before you graduate. Great. But you only really get it once before you graduate from high school. So here's an opportunity to build on what you've already learned or been exposed to. Okay? Yes. And take it in greater depth to actually be where you have it for at least a second time. And you're in it with a group of other people who are interested in the same thing. Because we take up to ten kids into the program, and it's probably the first, well, one of the first times in your life that you're in a group of people who are all hungry to learn the same thing and all there to get ahead.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah. So this is the Finance, Career, and Leadership Academy at Virginia National Bank. We're speaking with Megan Kreider, who uh heads up this program and teaches this program. You you do everything with this program, it's true. Yes, I do. And it's such an amazing opportunity for juniors and seniors in high school. How can somebody, if they're interested in this and they see this, how can somebody get involved with it?
SPEAKER_01
Well, we just opened our our website for the FCLA. It's VNB.com slash FCLA. Um you can go to that website and on there it gives you all the details regarding the program, and then there's a link there to apply. We are already starting to take applications for it. It's a very simple process, the application. Uh you fill out the application, you you resubmit it to us, there's an essay that you have to write, and we do a first screening, and then after that screening, we'll choose those that we will do interviews with. And we have a group of people, myself, the CEO of the company, Glenn Rust, and our head of human resources, Larry Pitchford. We interview every one of those students. And then we narrow it down to ten kids.
SPEAKER_00
Okay. So uh VNB.com forward slash F C L A. Correct. Is where you can go and you can get all that. You can find the form and everything that you need, right, to apply. It costs nothing.
SPEAKER_01
It costs nothing.
SPEAKER_00
Which is amazing. And if you get in, it costs absolutely nothing. Yeah. Yes, it call if you get in, yes. Um costs nothing to apply, too, though. Costs nothing to apply. Nope. It's not like applying to colleges where you have to give them money just to apply. Right. And so there are some information sessions that are coming up. So if somebody is interested and they would like to know more about it, I know that there is one in October.
SPEAKER_01
There's the one on October 20th, um, the Tuesday that goes from 6 30 to 8 o'clock P.M. The other date is November 5th for the same time period.
SPEAKER_00
They both take place here at our corporate office on PantOps. So really simple, and you can get more information in person. And the um Finance, Career, and Leadership Academy. So those are two free information sessions. What is the program deadline to get your application in for this next next year? The deadline for the applications is November 20th.
SPEAKER_01
That's a Friday by midnight. Okay. Get them in. Or by 1159. Yeah, eleven fifty-nine, please. That's right. I think another important thing to know is that when's the the Academy taking place? Oh, yes. When is it taking place? The Academy is taking place during the spring semester. So it starts the week of January uh 11th with the first class being that Tuesday, uh, January 12th. It occurs every Tuesday and Thursday night all the way through June 4th, and it runs from 6 30 to 8 o'clock at night.
SPEAKER_00
Okay. And it takes place here at People Place in Charlottesville, Virginia National.
SPEAKER_01
Corporate headquarters here on Pan Tops. Um, it takes place in our boardroom. We're trying to give these these young adults some uh a feel of what it's like to actually be in the work environment.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah. It's an amazing program, Megan. It really is. Thank you so much for what you do with this because it is free to our community, which is amazing. Correct. And so, Megan Kreider, uh, you're B's president of educational programs. Correct. Yeah, thank you so much for being here.
