ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y.–Ocean Financial FCU sponsored the Mentoring Latinas Program at Molloy University with a financial literacy seminar for Uniondale and Roosevelt high school students, led by Branch Manager Sergio Bedoya.
The Mentoring Latinas Program at Molloy University was first launched in 2006 and is specifically designed for Latina students at participating high schools. For this academic year, Molloy Latina undergraduate students are serving as mentors to students as they provide support, friendship and encouragement to stay in school and go on to pursue a college degree.
Sergio Bedoya, Oceanside Branch Manager at Ocean Financial Federal Credit Union, was born in Columbia and immigrated to the United States at the age of nine. He has been in the banking industry since he was 18 years old.
“It was amazing having the opportunity to speak to the students of the Mentoring Latinas Program,” said Bedoya. “Learning about the basics of banking and it’s different functions now will help students grow to be more confident and comfortable with their financial journey later on in life.”
In his seminar, “Banking Basics”, Sergio discussed the following points for students to follow along in both English and Spanish:
- Financial Institutions: Identifying the different types of financial institutions and what they are used for, such as banks, credit unions and non-banking financial institutions (NBFI’s).
- Selecting a Bank Account: The purpose of having a bank account, the different types of bank accounts that you can open, and how to select a bank account that best fits your financial goals.
- How to Use a Bank Account: How to open a bank account and the functions of using a new account, such as how to deposit a check, how to use direct deposit, how to withdraw money, how to pay for items using money from a checking account.
- Account Safety: How to bank online or through an app while protecting your account from fraud, such as using strong passwords and a password that will not be obvious to scammers. If you are using a public computer, make sure that you are using a secure internet connection and are on a secure site.
“It was amazing having the opportunity to speak to the students of the Mentoring Latinas Program,” said Bedoya. “Learning about the basics of banking and it’s different functions now will help students grow to be more confident and comfortable with their financial journey later on in life.”