When Iola High School Career and Technical Education Coordinator Dana Daugharthy approached Emprise Bank about help with funding this year’s Reality U, Iola’s branch manager Kristin Wright and Jerry Dreher, a commercial lender for Emprise, knew it was a chance to step up.
“Dana told us that there had been a hiccup in the funding,” said Wright. “At first, Jerry and I thought we could collaborate with others. But the more we thought about Reality U, the more we agreed that the program deserves our full support.”
Emprise Bank fully funded the cost of holding Reality U at Iola High School last month — and intends to continue doing so for years to come, Wright added.
Reality U is an interactive 75-minute program where students imagine their lives as 26-year-olds. They complete an online lifestyle survey, input their current GPA and are given scenarios where they have a monthly income, credit card debt and more.
Students then get a checkbook and have to balance budgets as they make purchases from 12 booths that represent different services and products.
This year’s event was held for eight-graders and sophomores.
“At its core, Reality U is all about finances,” said Wright. “It’s so helpful for the next generation to understand how to manage money.”
Wright, who’s been involved in Reality U for the last six years, cherishes the lightbulb moments participants encounter.
“I remember a young girl saying, ‘Wait, we don’t need a home with an indoor gym because we already have a gym membership,’” Wright recalled. “And just seeing her realize that you don’t always have to spend on everything you want, it was very powerful.
“Being in the schools is important to us,” said Wright. “We want to be able to help our kids and our community.”
Reality U is a program of the Pando Initiative, a Wichita-based nonprofit.
