UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In honor of Financial Literacy Month in April, the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center invites Penn State undergraduates to consider applying to become student ambassadors for the 2022 academic year and in the future. The center hires students for this part-time role each semester, and ambassadors educate their peers across the University about financial literacy.
“Student ambassadors play a critical role in helping the center to empower students with financial literacy knowledge, tools and resources,” said Daad Rizk, the center’s director. “We love our student ambassadors, and we couldn’t fulfill our mission without them.”
Student ambassadors come to the center from many different academic colleges. The center trains them in delivering financial literacy knowledge to their peers, and ambassadors deliver this knowledge in one-on-one meetings as well as presentations to Penn State classes. Ambassadors work with students at every Penn State campus (in person and remotely with students at the University Park campus, and remotely with students at Commonwealth Campuses and Penn State World Campus).
Aidan Kamowski, a sophomore from Harrisburg who has worked as a student ambassador since August 2021, spoke highly of the role.
“I love coming to my job every day,” said Kamowski, who is majoring in supply chain and information systems in the Smeal College of Business. “The center has given me the opportunity to talk about money, which is one of my favorite things, but also to build relationships with co-workers who are really kind, authentic people.”
Like all student ambassadors, Kamowski meets with students individually and delivers presentations on various personal finance topics to Penn State classes whose instructors request the service. He also completes special projects — such as a meal plan budgeting tool he created for students, which he is especially proud of — and engages in outreach on the center’s behalf, providing a presence at events such as Welcome Week and New Student Orientation.
Kamowski said that the role has taught him the finer points of personal finance, too. He’s learned, for instance, the importance of remaining vigilant against identity theft, given that it’s one of the most common crimes in the United States. “A new instance of identity theft occurs every two seconds in the U.S.,” he explained.
The role has helped him hone his public-speaking skills and taught him to put people at ease while discussing topics that are sensitive, personal and at times uncomfortable, which he explained describes many personal finance subjects.
Though Kamowski himself is a bit of a personal finance whiz, he emphasized that students do not need an extensive background in the subject to succeed as an ambassador.
“Don’t feel intimated to come into the role if you’re not a finance major or don’t have an extensive business background,” he said. “Students from any major can do this job well. It’s a great opportunity to gain wonderful experiences.”
Students at the University Park campus who are interested in applying to become student ambassadors can find position openings throughout the summer and during the academic year on Penn State’s WorkLion platform. The center plans to hire new ambassadors this summer to begin work in the fall 2022 semester. If students have questions or would like additional information, they can contact the center at finlit@psu.edu.
More information about the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center is available at financialliteracy.psu.edu.
The Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.