Representatives from Washington Federal’s executive team in Arizona honored more than 200 graduates of its 2015 Washington Federal Financial Scholars Program, a financial education course designed to provide students with the critical skills needed to make sound financial decisions, on Wednesday, April 29 at Metro Tech High School. Washington Federal partnered with leading education technology company EverFi, Inc., to bring this interactive, web-based financial management education tool to six schools statewide and 20 total throughout Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. Since the program’s inception in 2013, it has reached more than 5,000 students.
 
“Our goal is to provide you with foundational knowledge to make smart decisions with your finances,” said Mike Brown, Arizona regional president of Washington Federal during his keynote address to the students. “Nothing can jeopardize your ability to succeed in today’s complex and competitive environment faster than poor financial decisions.”
 
Washington Federal and EverFi, Inc. bring the program to local students at no cost to the schools or the taxpayer. 
The web-based platform uses the latest in new media technology – simulations, avatars, gaming and adaptive-pathing – to bring complex financial concepts to life for today’s digital generation. The high school course offers over six hours of programming with ten units in a variety of financial topics including credit scores, insurance, credit cards, student loans, mortgages, taxes, stocks, savings, 401k’s and other critical concepts that map to national financial literacy standards. The platform uniquely tracks the progress and performance of every student and provides students who successfully complete the course with Certification in Financial Literacy, a valuable mark of distinction on college applications and resumes.