Leaders Made by Effort

One of the signs of good leadership is identifying and developing future leaders. Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union’s Student-Operated Financial Literacy Centers serve as incubators for such leaders. Erika Roberts, for example, joined the Credit Union as a sophomore when she began working in the branch within Strath Haven High School in suburban Philadelphia. The job enabled Erika to exercise and develop her innate leadership skills, propelling her to the top. By senior year, she was the president of her branch and president of FMFCU’s Youth Advisory Board.

Erika parlayed her leadership skills in other areas, too. On behalf of her school’s student body, she lobbied for the addition of business courses to the curriculum. Her effort led to a one-on-one meeting with the Wallingford-Swarthmore school District Superintendent and plans to add several business courses in the fall, even though she will be an alumnus by that point.

With such determination and focus on the greater good, Erika is poised for success in whatever career she chooses, which is fortunate given her varied interests. She is pursuing an acting and modeling career and plans to study biochemistry in preparation for a medical license.

Erika serves as an ideal ambassador for the Credit Union. She is the first to volunteer for FMFCU-sponsored events during and after school. She was instrumental in the Youth Advisory Board’s Banking on the Go brochure, which targeted high school and college students with user-friendly information about the use of FMFCU products and the many benefits of Membership for Life.

Her efforts earned her the prestigious 2016 Outstanding Student Leader title, accompanied by a $500 award and special recognition at the FMFCU Partners in Education Celebration. The latter is the Philadelphia region’s annual premier academic recognition banquet, a program for the community developed and supported by Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union and FMFCU Partners in Education Foundation.