Students and staff at the College of Southern Nevada now have expanded access to financial literacy services through a partnership with Operation HOPE.
The organization focuses on helping people increase their FICO scores, decrease debt and increase savings. The Nevada System of Higher Education signed a memorandum of understanding to bring a fulltime financial coach to CSN.
Kisha Wright is available to work with CSN students and staff through group workshops or one-on-one counseling. Wright splits her time between CSN’s three main campuses. Her presence at CSN complements the work CSN has already been doing.
“It is a social responsibility for us to educate others in their own individual financial education,” said Lisandra De Jesus, CSN’s associate vice president of student affairs. “This service helps the individual, it helps the families. We are setting an example for our students that we care about their entire educational journey.”
A big part of Wright’s job is connecting students and clients to resources and to empowering them to make changes on their own, she said.
“The truth of the matter is we’re changing minds, we’re changing habits. It’s small baby steps to getting to a financial goal,” she said. “It’s always easier to give advice than to take it. When it comes to your own personal stuff, it’s hard to apply it to yourself. I’m here to coach, not to take over. You can do it. I want to inspire you that you can do it.”
Wright has already started running workshops on campus for students, including one called “How to Stretch My Dollar,” and is partnering with other CSN departments to put on events appealing to students, like an “Adulting 101” course to give students a crash course in some of the basics.
Kisha Wright can be reached at kisha.wright@operationhope.org
For more information, visit operationhope.org.