I was inspired to pursue my AFC® certification because of an early county teaching experience. While teaching a basic budgeting class, I met a young mother of three who was working three different jobs in order to make ends meet. I was amazed at how resourceful and goal oriented she was. She overcame many life challenges and would tell the class about her life experiences. One story Mary shared was about having three children in three different diaper sizes and the impact on her budget. She told about how happy she was when even one child no longer needed diapers and all of the sudden there was new found money. She actually completed a diaper cost comparison for her three kids, noting the monthly expenditures and the effect on her budget. Mary welcomed any ideas to help her stretch her resources and make financial decisions. Through this teaching situation, I became more and more passionate about learning as much financial knowledge as possible, to not only provide a strong educational base for teaching, but to also assist students and others as they make important financial decisions now, and in the future, in order to meet their life goals.

Rebecca Hagen Jokela, AFC®

April 25, 2017


#MyWhy Series

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *