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Health & Fitness

Agnes Irwin Selected as Founding Partner with Invest in Girls

Financial literacy program is designed to spark interest in financial service careers

The Agnes Irwin School has been selected as a founding partner with Invest in Girls, a new and growing Boston-based non-profit organization designed to give young women strong of financial matters and expose them to careers in the financial services industry.

Invest in Girls (IIG) is a three-year financial education program comprised of workshops, one-on-one mentoring and field trips to financial service companies and institutions. The goal of the program is to help enlarge the pool of girls pursuing careers in an industry where women continue to be underrepresented.

“At Agnes Irwin, we believe in fostering confidence and independence in each girl; and to that end, we are continually finding the most innovative and forward-thinking ways in which to accomplish just that,” said Mariandl Hufford, Director of the AIS Center for the Advancement of Girls (CAG), which facilitated the partnership. “Financial literacy is a tool of incalculable value for any young woman. We see financial literacy not only as an important life skill, but also as a tool that strong leaders cannot do without.”

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Agnes Irwin is the only school in Pennsylvania to offer this creative and comprehensive program, which was founded in June 2010 and launched as a pilot program in 2011 with funding from the National Council for Research on Women and 13 private donors.

Designed around a three-year cycle, Invest in Girls hosts four interactive workshops for a total of 12 during the cycle. Using financial simulations, the girls will study personal finance, investment strategies and philanthropy based on the “B.I.G.” concepts: budgeting, investing and giving.

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In addition, IIG matches each girl with a mentor working in the financial world who provides an introduction to finance careers and a deeper understanding of financial concepts. Mentors will talk with girls monthly to discuss education plans, potential internships and professional development.

Among the mentors are women working at some of the world’s largest financial companies, including Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Credit Suisse, Fidelity Investments, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and PricewaterhouseCoopers. An AIS staffer also serves as a mentor.

Lastly, each year the girls will visit two financial services firms, meeting with successful industry leaders and connecting with girls from other participating schools.

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