Pride Educational Empowerment Program (PEEP), in partnership with Cochrane Collegiate Academy, Global Endowment Management and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, are pleased to announce the successful completion of its inaugural First Generation Investors (FGI) program, consisting of 18 iMeck students from Cochrane. FGI is a national non-profit 501(c)3 organization that teaches high school students in underserved communities the power of investing and brings classroom lessons to life by providing students with real money to invest. PEEP is one of Charlotte’s premier non-profits for youth, focusing on bridging the racial wealth gap in the Queen City.
Jennifer Wyatt Kennedy, Instructional Facilitator at Cochrane, oversaw the student participation, which included current 11th and 12 graders at Charlotte Mecklenburg School’s leading Digital Marketing Multimedia Design magnet program, The iMeck Academy of Global Influencers. Each student participant is a part of the school’s Career and Technical Education, Business Pathway where they applied, participated and completed 12 sessions of The PEEP Financial Literacy series, including an 8-week curriculum from FGI.
Caleb Achidi, a student at UNC Charlotte, was the lead college volunteer and primary interface with the national FGI. He was responsible for learning, training and implementing the FGI curriculum to the Cochrane students, along with five other college volunteers.
On Wednesday April 26, 2022, students and partners concluded the first cohort of the chapter on the campus of UNC Charlotte. During the celebration, students presented their portfolios and received account information for their stock portfolios sponsored by PEEP, Global Endowement, Truist and Wells Fargo. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to start their journey in investing.
