As students filed into the Performing Arts Center at Costa Mesa Middle and High School (CMHS), the atmosphere was charged with anticipation for the first financial literacy session of the year, part of the school’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program. Teachers, staff, and community partners united to create an engaging learning experience designed to provide students with practical tools for life beyond high school.

To kick things off, students were welcomed with handshakes, fist bumps, and encouraging words before settling in with pens and worksheets in hand. 

For AVID teacher Tim Postiff, financial literacy is a vital piece of preparing high school students for college and adulthood. “In AVID, we’re trying to get students to college, but they also need the wherewithal to understand how much college costs and how to manage their spending. Early exposure to how money works is key,” Postiff said.

That early exposure is something Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) is paying attention to. California Assembly Bill 2927 will make financial literacy a graduation requirement by 2028.

Supporting this work is a partnership with NuVision Credit Union, whose team of financial educators brings real-world expertise into the classroom. This collaboration with CMHS allows students to learn directly from professionals about money management, college costs, and planning for the future.

Now in its second year, the sessions bring financial experts to the CMHS campus to help students understand the basics of managing money, preparing for college costs, and planning for their financial futures.

The first session focused on the fundamentals of budgeting, with students engaged in interactive activities designed to illustrate the real-life consequences of financial decisions. One memorable demonstration involved three boxes of donuts. Students were asked to fill out a budget form using preset monetary amounts for salary, rent, utilities, auto loans, and insurance. Additional fields allowed for savings and expenses, such as healthcare, household services, and food. Ninth-grader Josue Ortega Orellana volunteered to share his budget. With each additional expense, NuVision representative Lester Baron tossed a chocolate donut into the trash. The gasps and groans in the auditorium drove home his point: without a solid financial plan, even the sweetest parts of life can slip away.

To further practice their budgeting skills, each student receives access to the digital guidebook “How Money Works.” As the school year continues, sessions will include topics such as building good credit, understanding interest, and planning for retirement.

Through this program, students acquire the essential skills to help them construct a financial foundation to build and manage their lives now and in the future.

Last year, NuVision also awarded scholarships to five graduating CMHS seniors, further showing its commitment to investing in students’ futures.

“We live in a paperless society where kids don’t always see the value of money, mostly paid through their phones,” Postiff said. “This program helps them make good choices—choices that will stay with them through college and beyond,” he added.

Junior Alex Flores, who participated in the sessions last year, shared that he saved $1,500 from his summer job at the Orange County Fair by putting aside 10 percent of each paycheck. “My inspiration was this class,” he said.

As NMUSD continues to integrate financial literacy into various secondary curricula, this partnership with NuVision highlights what’s possible when schools and community organizations collaborate. For CMHS students, these lessons go beyond classroom exercises; they serve as building blocks for lifelong success.