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Erum Ahmad is creating an opportunity for Vernon high school students to improve their financial literacy skills, an experience she wished she had during grade school.

The fourth-year ��«Ӱҵ Vernon Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting) student remembers being disappointed when she learned her high school didn’t offer any accounting classes. So Erum took it upon herself to create and teach a program to Clarence Fulton Secondary students in Vernon this past year.

Erum was able to teach students in Grades 11 and 12 how to do their taxes, how to get student loans, understanding interest and credit card debt, how to read financial statements and their rights as an employee.

According to Erum, the awards she’s received from ��«Ӱҵ are allowing her to give back while pursuing her passion.

“Receiving awards is amazing. It has allowed me to not worry about working as much as I usually would. I was able to work towards offering this financial literacy course, which is helping the youth of our community, and that really feels full circle for me.I was able to give back because I also received support.”

Erum says her education is helping her open new doors, including an internship this summer at BDO as a staff accountant. While the change to online learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has had challenges, Erum says there have been some silver linings. She’s honed her ability to learn independently, and has surprised herself by working through files without standard training.

The Co-President of the ��«Ӱҵ Accounting Club Vernon shares that awards from donors mean much more than financial support, and she gets emotional when receiving an award.

"It’s not just the money, it’s the fact that someone is there saying 'I’ve got your back, and I’m helping you become a better person,'" she says.

"To me, an award says 'Thank you for being you and continue being you' and that is best feeling you could ever have."