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Rhode Island Treasurer’s Office and Citizens Bank Co-host College Bound Event for High School Students in Rhode Island

Rhode Island Treasurer’s Office and Citizens Bank Co-host College Bound Event for High School Students in Rhode Island
Providence, RI – The Rhode Island Treasurer’s Office and Citizens Bank today hosted a virtual event for high school students in Rhode Island who have participated in Pathways: Financing Higher Education, an interactive digital financial education program. Pathways was designed to help students navigate the student loans process and prepare for life after high school.
The virtual event was emceed by Dhani Jones, entrepreneur and former NFL player, and featured a panel discussion with Charon Rose, Deputy Treasurer of Financial Empowerment and Community Outreach in the Office of the Rhode Island General Treasurer, Christine Roberts, Head of Student Lending at Citizens Bank, Mindy Hager, Senior Vice President of Student Lending Sales at Citizens Bank, and Cheryl Murray, a local business educator from Lincoln High School.
During the event, panelists shared information for students and their families on how to save for higher education, how to apply for financial aid assistance through FAFSA, and other important considerations to keep in mind when accepting offer letters from colleges. The event concluded with a trivia game to provide students with an opportunity to showcase their learnings from the Pathways course.
“As General Treasurer, my top priority is promoting economic security for all Rhode Islanders,” said General Treasurer Seth Magaziner. “To set young people up for financial success, we are advancing legislation to ensure that all students have access to financial education and we have made Rhode Island’s CollegeBound Saver one of the top rated college savings plans in the country. I am grateful for the educators who work hard every day to build a bright future for Rhode Island students, and to community partners like Citizens Bank and EVERFI for providing vital resources for financial education in the classroom.”
A former public school teacher, Treasurer Magaziner has prioritized making higher education more accessible and affordable for every Rhode Island student. When he took office, he overhauled Rhode Island’s 529 savings plan, CollegeBound Saver, which allows Rhode Island students and their families to save for higher education, college, vocational school, or apprenticeships in a tax-advantaged way with no minimum deposit. CollegeBound Saver is now one of the top-rated 529 programs in the country, with a 5/5 rating from savingsforcollege.com, nearly 200,000 accounts, and over $5.2 billion in assets.
Citizens Bank teamed up with education technology provider EVERFI to create Pathways: Financing Higher Education with the goal of developing informed consumers and preparing students to make wise financial decisions when considering how to best finance their higher education. The Pathways curriculum aligns with state, national, and Jump$tart Coalition financial literacy standards.
“Empowering students with the skills and knowledge they need to make important financial decisions is critical to ensuring that all students understand the steps they can take to make their higher education dreams a reality,” said Christine Roberts, head of Student Lending for Citizens. “We are thrilled to be working with EVERFI and the Rhode Island Treasurer’s office to equip as many Rhode Island students as possible with these critical financial literacy skills.”
Citizens sponsors the Pathways: Financing Higher Education course as part of their College Bound Citizens program for high school students. Since its launch in 2019, the College Bound Citizens program has reached more than 800 schools across the country.
To learn more about topics related to financing higher education and financial foundations, visit Citizens’ Financing College Resource Center for Families: https://citizens.everfi.com/