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Money Matters & Tamara’s Plan for Success

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Transcript of the video:

Upbeat music plays.

Tamara: As a child I always knew that I wanted to attend an out-of-state college. I wanted some independence. It was just a matter of figuring out how to get there and how to pay for it.

Onscreen text: Tamara Johnson, Money Matters Alum

Tamara: My name is Tamara Johnson. I began attending the Boys & Girls Club when I was nine years old and I am a practicing attorney in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Onscreen text: Gary & Lorraine Johnson, Tamara's parents

Tamara's dad: We raised our family just north of Santa Fe in a small community called Pojoaque. That's where Tamara first attended the Boys & Girls Club. From the time she walked in you could see her eyes get very big.

Tamara: I was in high school when I first began participating in Money Matters. I knew that I wanted to go to college. I just had no idea about scholarships or how to get there.

Tamara's dad: I thought, "man, that's amazing to hear young people start thinking about saving for their future. In that way, she was also teaching her parents.

Tamara: When I think about the moment that I received a full tuition scholarship, oh my gosh. I get chills thinking about it. My mom called me on the phone and said, "we've received a letter from Marquette. Do you want me to open it?" And I said, "Sure, just open it."

Tamara's mom: So I opened the letter and I started reading it, and then I started crying, and she thought she didn't get in.

Tamara: And she said "No, no, no, you got it." I immediately burst into tears and I know my whole family was just really excited.

Onscreen text: Theresa & Arthur Johnson, Tamara's grandparents

Tamara's grandmother: We're so proud of her.

Tamara's grandfather: Yeah, it's really great what she has accomplished.

Tamara: One of the most significant lessons that I took away from Money Matters was learning the difference between a want versus a need. Throughout college, I was always making those decisions, based off needs versus wants. How much money to spend while grocery shopping, or whether or not to go to the movies. And, thankfully, I was able to graduate from college and law-school debt free. I'm trying to make decisions that will benefit me in the future. One of them being saving for retirement, saving for a home at some point. Eventually I know I'll have to buy a car, because I can't use my high school car forever.

Tamara's grandfather: She could even go into politics or something. Maybe be a CEO somewhere or something.

Tamara's grandmother: Maybe even president.

Tamara's dad: To me it's just amazing how it all worked out. A girl from a small town in the middle of nowhere, she ends up going to Marquette University, she rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Tamara: I'm one of the many lives that have been changed by learning the basics of financial literacy. I know I'm not alone and I think it has changed so many lives and I think it has the ability to change so many others.

Onscreen text: Money Matters: Make it Count | Boys & Girls Clubs of America, supported by the Charles Schwab Foundation.

Boys & Girls Club alumna Tamara Johnson continues to use the lessons she learned while participating in the Money Matters program during high school. From obtaining college scholarships to planning for retirement, the financial literacy program supported by Charles Schwab Foundation helped Tamara take charge of her future.

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