The City of Cupertino held the second of its three Teen Speaker Series panels on Nov. 15 at the Quinlan Community Center. The event featured Cathy Tam from the World Financial Group and financial adviser Sunny Wang as panelists. From 1 to 1:45 p.m., they presented on key aspects of financial literacy, covering topics ranging from the Rule of 72, which estimates how long it will take for an investment to double in value, to “finfulness,” a method for the mindful handling of money.
Three Teen Speaker Series events are spread throughout the month of November. The first of these events, which was held on Nov. 1, focused on college planning, and the last panel on tech careers will take place in the Cupertino Community Hall on Nov. 22.
Planning for the Teen Speaker Series events began during the summer, when Cupertino’s Teen Commission convened to determine which topics to focus on. The Youth Activity Board then contacted potential speakers, marketing the event on social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. YAB President and MVHS junior Saanj Rao believes the event was highly successful, especially considering the Teen Speaker program is only in its second year.
“I think the topics that were chosen are very relevant,” Rao said. “Having this resource for free in the community to come and learn about an important and prevalent topic is very beneficial.”
Teen Commission Vice-Chair and MVHS junior Harly Liu served as the moderator, giving the panel’s opening and closing statements. Liu agrees with Rao, adding that it is important for students to hear from professionals whose focus is outside the general high school curriculum. Both he and Rao appreciated the opportunity to meet and learn from the panelists.
“Our regular day-to-day lives are mostly just regular classes,” Liu said. “Stuff like college planning, financial literacy and career planning are very relevant for students who might usually not be focused on such issues.”
Wang is grateful to the YAB for inviting him to speak at their event. According to Wang, financial education is beneficial for students, as he recalls knowing little about money as a teenager. He is eager to continue offering this form of community service and hopes to participate in similar events in the future.
“I always love the opportunity to make this type of educational presentation, especially to youth,” Wang said. “I look out for these opportunities, but this time, they found me. I don’t say no to these events because I’m passionate about giving back at this stage of my career. I just hope that today’s presentation provides some kind of value to these kids.”
