ALLENDALE – Grand Valley State University and the Fifth Third Foundation celebrated on September 23 the Michigan launch of REP4ⓇFinLit, a learner-driven financial literacy tool designed by and for college students to help them become more financially independent.
REP4ⓇFinLit began as an idea pitch through REP4Ⓡ (Rapid Education Prototyping for Change, Learners, Community, Equity), a national alliance founded by Grand Valley and other higher education partners across the country. It is designed to empower high school and college students to collaboratively design the future of higher education through idea generation and the creation of prototypes, like REP4ⓇFinLit.
In 2024, a nearly $2 million grant from the Fifth Third Foundation allowed the program to expand.
“REP4ⓇFinLit is giving us the opportunity to help students think early and often about how their finances relate to their life goals,” said GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella. “That is something we should fundamentally do, and yet it is missing in public higher education. This is what we can do if we allow students to architect for change in higher education.”
What started as an observation about college students lacking financial knowledge grew into a full experience featuring a Money Mindset Quiz that reveals one of eight financial personality types, bite-sized learning in self-paced modules and a vibrant online community for students to connect with others.
“The Fifth Third Foundation is proud to support the statewide launch of REP4ⓇFinLit, developed right here at GVSU by and for young adults,” said Kala Gibson, ‘94, chief corporate responsibility officer for Fifth Third. “It’s part of Fifth Third’s longstanding commitment to financial access and inclusion, and an investment that I know will pay dividends long into the future because we’re empowering talented young adults to mentor and educate their peers.”
Three students who had worked on developing REP4ⓇFinLit spoke about their experiences during a panel discussion.
“REP4ⓇFinLit stands out because it’s made by students, so that means we used simple language that everyone understands. We lead with what we want to learn and how we want to learn it, and that gives us the power to change and shape our own education,” said Joy Murerwa, a junior finance and accounting major. She was joined by senior writing major Brandon Smith and senior advertising and public relations major Hailey Bos.
“Working on this project made me much more confident because I can talk about money with my friends without being embarrassed, and I’ve started thinking more long-term with my finances,” said Murerwa. “College students have our entire lives shaped by the financial decisions we’re making today, and I think a lot of people don’t realize that. If we educate each other about personal finance and how to make decisions we can be proud of, we can help each other to build a better tomorrow for our Grand Valley community and beyond.”
