VIEWPOINTS

LAFCU essay winners write about which classes they'd create to improve student experience

Lansing State Journal

Four graduating high school seniors each have received a $5,000 scholarship as winners of the 2025 LAFCU Write to Educate essay contest. LAFCU also will donate $500 to each of four charities chosen by contest winners Aubree Moore, Kelcie Pung, Kennedy Mullens and Nolan Sanders.

This year's writing prompt was "If you could create a new course to teach in high schools, what would it be and why would it be beneficial to students?"

The contest was open to all Michigan high schools seniors with no restrictions based on GPA, financial need or LAFCU membership.

Here are the winning essays:

'Career Compass' would explore job options, prepare students for workforce

High school career education often focuses on preparing students for professions common amongst society, such as lawyers, doctors, teachers, or accountants. While these careers are important, they only represent a fraction of the immense range of opportunities available.

Many students graduate without exposure to fields like truck driving, air traffic control or court reporting— jobs that are financially rewarding but often overlooked.

If I could create a new high school course to teach, I would propose “Career Compass: Exploring Unconventional Paths.” This class would introduce students to uncommon but highly rewarding jobs and prepare them for a new place called the job market.

High school students rarely learn about careers beyond the standard options. Many of these careers do not require a four-year college degree yet still offer financial stability and job satisfaction.

For example, an air traffic controller can earn upwards of six figures with only specialized training. A UPS driver can make $150,000 a year, the same as some architects do with years of schooling. By broadening students’ perspectives, this course would help them discover paths they may have never considered.

Aubree Moore of Woodhaven High School is a 2025 LAFCU Write to Educate scholarship contest winner.

This course would be one of the most interactive courses students take. Students would learn far beyond the textbook, incorporating guest speakers, hands-on projects and activities, field trips, career preparation and regular assessments. Professionals such as paralegals or doulas, would share their firsthand experiences with the class, either in person or virtually.

Students would take field trips to workplaces like forensic labs, courtrooms, manufacturing plants, or sports stadiums to see these careers in action. Real-world projects would also be a key part of the curriculum. Students could complete tasks of various industries such as analyzing sport statistics, assisting a lawyer in preparing documents, or practicing emergency response techniques like a paramedic. These activities would give students a taste of different industries and allow them to picture themselves in these spaces.

Beyond career exploration, this course would also help students develop practical life skills that are not taught in traditional education. Topics like financial literacy, workplace etiquette, mock interviews, resume building, and job market trends would be incorporated to ensure students are well prepared to enter the workforce. By providing students with a core understanding of the workplace, they will be set up for long term success.

This course would benefit students in a multitude of ways. First, it would help them discover careers that align with their interests and strengths. Second, it would highlight alternative education routes, such as apprenticeships, certifications, and trade programs, showing that college is not the only route to success. Third, it would equip students with essential workplace skills like networking, communication, problem solving, and adaptability — qualities that are valuable to any profession. Finally, it would be especially impactful for students who feel uncertain about their future and are trying to find a path that they will enjoy.

High school should prepare students for the real world and all that it entails. A course like “Career Compass” would ensure students graduate feeling empowered, prepared, and excited about their futures. By exposing them to diverse opportunities, this class would emphasize taking control of their career journey with confidence and curiosity.

— Aubree Moore, Woodhaven High School

Class focused on scholarships, careers, resumes would give students confidence for big decisions

Every year, thousands of dollars in scholarship opportunities have been lost by millions of high school seniors due to a lack of knowledge and overwhelming uncertainties about future endeavors. I know that I am not alone in my doubts about deciding on a future dream and paying for the education necessary to live it out.

As a high school senior who spends most of their day taking electives to “fill the schedule,” I often ponder the idea of a more meaningful use of my time. If given the chance to create a beneficial class for high school students, I would generate a curriculum focused solely on scholarships, career search, resume building, and college decisions.

Instead of spending time worrying about right and wrong decisions, high schoolers would have the opportunity to discover their potential and most fulfilling goals.

One of the most important factors when it comes to future plans is discovering the necessary steps to chasing a dream. Whether the plan is to jump into the workforce immediately following high school, attending college, or studying trades, each carries a unique process.

My created class would walk high school juniors or seniors through important preparation steps such as scheduling and attending visits, creating a strong resume, and understanding the credentials necessary for careers.

I would offer hands-on opportunities in the workplace of the student’s desire. Interactive experiences would provide guidance in narrowing down options and feeling confident in the decision-making process. Money and time, which are already limited, would no longer be wasted trying to search for a satisfactory path.

Kelcie Pung of Fowler High School is a 2025 LAFCU Write to Educate scholarship contest winner.

On top of education and athletics, I have spent hundreds of hours working to financially prepare for my future. With the rising cost of college, my savings will not come close to covering multiple years of expenses. When questioned about scholarship opportunities or how to fill out the FAFSA, I was instantly overwhelmed and perplexed. I felt as if opportunities were out of reach or even unheard of.

Little did I know I could earn thousands of dollars in scholarships by either answering questions regarding personal accomplishments or writing papers with passion. If I had a class guiding me to and through scholarship opportunities, I would feel secure with my ability to establish a firm financial foundation.

Families who are not familiar with government aid such as FAFSA would have the opportunity to walk through the forms with help in my created class. Just like other areas of life, a sense of security allows one to put the best version of themself forward.

At the end of the day, the chapter following high school is one of the most important decisions in life. A class guiding high school students in the right direction is crucial. If the main goal of our journey on Earth is to discover and express the best version of ourselves, we need the resources to do so. My curriculum would allow students to feel prepared and set up for success.

Our world needs confident individuals who are living their dream and chasing their goals. As a future teacher, I have the power to change the direction of the education system. For the millions of high school students feeling uncertain about the future, I hope to shed light on the endless opportunities that are within reach.

— Kelcie Pung, Fowler High School

Social and emotional health class would equip students to survive and thrive in high school, beyond

One thousand, nine hundred, fifty-two. That’s how many high school students, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, committed suicide in 2021. That number made suicide the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 14-18 in 2021.

Since then, that number has only risen—that number, which could have been prevented by a thorough and comprehensive education based on social and emotional health. Many high school curriculums feature brief units on the subject, however, this number proves such a short unit to be ineffective.

If I were to create a new course to teach in high schools, I would establish a social and emotional learning course to be instructed at different depths during each year of high school. This course would provide students with social and self awareness skills critical not only to their journey through high school, but to the rest of their lives.

High school is considered one of the most difficult times in a young person’s life. It is full of significant physical and psychological changes and an abundance of opportunities. But these opportunities go to waste without the proper skills to recognize and navigate them.

Kennedy Mullens of Alma High School is a 2025 LAFCU Write to Educate scholarship contest winner.

As a high school senior who has struggled with my mental health since the sixth grade, I see myself in the nearly 40% of students that experience prolonged feelings of hopelessness and depression as reported by the CDC; I see myself in the 10% of students that have seriously considered suicide.

I see these numbers represented in the quiet eyes of my classmates, in the outbursts of each “class clown,” in the muffled sobs in the bathroom stall next to mine. I was equipped with crucial skills, emotional maturity, and social awareness at a very young age, after my own suicide attempt and the three resulting inpatient stays at a Forest View Hospital and years of therapy.

Most students, however, have not shared such experiences and have not learned these instrumental skills.

High school students as a whole struggle to comprehend their emotions or interact socially. With the addition of schoolwork and extracurriculars, students are left burnt-out and unable to process or deal with their emotions. This, as studies by the National Library of Medicine and other institutions have shown, leads to an increase in suicidal depression and cognitive dissonance. I believe a social and emotional learning course implemented throughout all four years of high school, however, would remedy this trend by teaching students key social and emotional skills.

As outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, there are five areas that are considered core skills of social and emotional learning: “[s]elf-awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.”

These skills, known as the CASEL5, would be emphasized in my suggested course. Combined with practices found in cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy settings, my course would teach students to look inward, to recognize and process their emotions, to communicate with others compassionately and effectively, and, above all, to understand that they are worthy.

Each of the CASEL5 skills would be taught each year at different depths, first meant to equip students with the ability to manage high school and all of the changes and challenges that come with it, then to prepare students to enter the world beyond those four long years.

I firmly believe that this would improve students’ social and emotional health, as well as strengthen community bonds as students learn to better understand themselves and others. In addition, such a course would result in well-versed adults, thus improving the social and emo­tional environment of workplaces and homesteads.

High schoolers deserve to learn how to navigate one of the most tumultuous times of their lives, to understand and respect both themselves and others, to feel prepared for entering the adult world — high schoolers deserve to live. A social and emotional learning course would provide them with these opportunities, with the ability to improve their social and emotional health. A social and emotional learning course would lower that number and save young lives.

— Kennedy Mullens, Alma High School

Financial literacy class would position students for real-world success

If I could create a new course to be taught in high schools, I would create a course about financial literacy. I think some of the most important things to learn about are how to manage the money you already have and make that money work for you.

The lessons taught in this course will include budgeting, taxes, investing, and saving. By establishing this class in high school, students will be able to learn about different financial skills and how to put those skills into practice as soon as they start working their first jobs. They can use the skills they learn to maximize their paychecks and grow their accounts to better fund college, trade school or whatever post-graduation plans they may have.

Nolan Sanders of St. Johns High School is a 2025 LAFCU Write to Educate scholarship contest winner.

This new financial literacy course will help students to budget. By teaching students how to budget, they will learn how to make better financial decisions. The course will include smart budgeting advice about the percentage of earnings that should go to necessities. Students will learn the different nuances of the general expenses they can expect after graduation and how to balance wants and needs.

My course will also teach students how to file state and federal income taxes. Introducing students to this concept early will help them to understand the importance of taxes and why we must pay them. The class will teach students the terminology they need to know to fill out their tax forms without tax professionals.

Additionally, a major focus of the course will be investment strategies. The differences between short-term and long-term investments will be important takeaways from this lesson. Teaching about these different forms can show students the benefits and drawbacks of immediate gains versus long-term growth. Students will learn about the stock market and have pretend funds to invest to help them study trends, make investments, and then learn how to make better choices. The early start to portfolio management will give students skills to fund their futures.

We will teach students about interest such as how savings accounts grow and how debt can accumulate from loans or credit cards. These responsible money management skills will allow students to make more informed decisions. Part of the course will include different types of savings accounts, certificates of deposits, and savings bonds that will help students to gain higher interest rates. By instilling knowledge on saving early in a high schooler’s career, students will know how to save for cars, education, housing, and even retirement. They can use their knowledge to pay for the current expenses they have and save for the future.

Overall, this course on financial literacy will provide students with the tools they need to manage their money wisely, set goals suited to themselves, achieve those goals, and maintain better financial stability. The skills taught in this course, including budgeting, taxes, investing and saving, will benefit students, allowing them to be more prepared for the occurrences in their lives, build their wealth, sharpen their decision making, and increase their confidence.

— Nolan Sanders, St. Johns High School