GEAR UP shares information with students and families

Jackie Whitten, Haywood County GEAR UP TN Site Coordinator, and Jay Boyd, Haywood County Parent Engagement/GEAR UP Services Coordinator were at Haywood High School to greet families and provide resources on how to make college affordable during Open House on Thursday, August 16. One of the services of GEAR UP is to provide financial literacy information to students and parents.

Ms. Whitten said, “Many students excel in academics, but they don’t truly understand the importance of watching their expenses, creating and maintaining a budget, limiting their debt, or building good credit. They need to learn this information in high school before they go to college, so they will make wise choices and not have too much debt to pay back later. The Tennessee Promise, local, state, and federal grants help students tremendously, but understanding the basics of finance can help our students through their years of college and into adulthood.”

HHS Open House