Burlington High School credit union branch opens

BURLINGTON, Wis. - A credit union just opened inside Burlington High School. Not only is it hoping to make students there smarter with their money, it also hopes to get them jobs.  

Credit union inside school

Local perspective:

The new Educators Credit Union branch inside Burlington High School had its grand opening Monday. It's in the school cafeteria. During lunch, students can go in and use its services.

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Students can open student accounts, get a debit card and play games that promote financial education. The credit union also provides teachers with instructional materials and speakers from Educators Credit Union for lessons on finance.

On top of that, the credit union hires students from the school as "youth apprentices." They’re tasked with helping students open accounts, transfer or deposit money and anything else students need.

These apprentices work during lunch hours – between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – two to three times a week. They also do tabling at football games and other school events.

What they're saying:

Genesis Garcia is one of the two apprentices the Burlington High School branch has. She wants to be an accountant when she’s older.

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"It's actually really helping me get on top of my grades," Garcia said. "If I don't get on top of my grades, I can't be here, I can't be working. I have to be on top of it. So it's really pushing me to be the best I can for me."

"It is so exciting," Emily Romeril, an outreach representative for Educators Credit Union said. "It's incredibly fulfilling to know that students have that much closer proximity to access to financial knowledge and the ability to ask questions in a safe place and learn about money in real time."

Other high school branches

Big picture view:

This is the seven branch Educators Credit Union has opened inside a southeast Wisconsin high school. Burlington High School is the fourth branch in Racine County.

What's next:

Educators Credit Union said it hopes to keep opening branches inside of schools in the future, and it will listen to any school that is interested in opening a new branch.

Educators Credit Union is insured by the NCUA and membership eligibility is required.

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Ben Hanson and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

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