Students from Lyman Memorial High School, Norwich Free Academy and Wheeler High School convened in the Crozier Williams Student Center at Connecticut College on Wednesday, June 1 for the 16th Annual Money Madness seminar presented by Chelsea Groton Bank.

The half-day seminar opened with keynote speaker Andrew Gernhard, a graduate of Norwich Free Academy, who discussed his path to becoming a movie producer with his own Connecticut-based production company.

Gernhard, a Ledyard resident, discussed the need for workers in the film industry as well as all the various jobs in the industry besides acting. To help be a part of the solution, Gernhard discussed how he worked with Middlesex College to design a Production Assistant certificate program.

Students were invited to ask questions, which prompted Gernhard to share anecdotes from his career of filming in Connecticut and other countries, how staying on top of the latest technology can help in any career, and how to make a career out of something you love. Gernhard closed the session by sharing a few key takeaways and bits of advice with the students, including: you don’t always need a degree for a career, it just depends what career you’re looking at; advocate for yourself, be confident in your delivery, but don’t over promise on your abilities; don’t give up no matter how many obstacles seem to be in your way; and it’s ok to be different.

The day also included several sessions presented by representatives from the CT Department of Banking, Byrnes Agency, CT Saves, Better Business Bureau CT, United Way, CHESLA, Shoreline Shine, LLC, Cardinal Honda and Chelsea Groton Bank. Topics included: an introduction to investing, eating healthfully on a budget, yoga and mindfulness, identity theft, education financing, college success and the importance of saving.

The seminar closed with a Family Feud-style game where students teamed up with their classmates to compete against other schools. Questions pertaining to the day’s panel discussion and break-out activities were asked to test what the students learned.

“It’s so important that young adults receive financial literacy education at an early age, and we are proud to offer financial education programming in several ways; through the annual Money Madness event, through Chelsea University e-learning and by going into their classrooms on a regular basis, as they are the future of our region,” explained Miria Gray, Community Education Officer at Chelsea Groton Bank. “Many of the topics we cover at Money Madness may not be included in their regular school curriculum, but they are critical to be aware of before beginning to make monetary decisions as young adults.”

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