SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union recently hosted a half-day Bite of Reality financial education session for high school students enrolled in California Congressman Lou Correa’s Young Congressional Leaders Program, a yearlong initiative that helps teens build leadership and independent living skills.

Bite of Reality is an interactive program to introduce young adults to real-world financial decision-making. Each student receives a fictional persona with a job, salary, credit score, family obligations and debt as they learn how to manage everyday expenses such as housing and transportation.

Held at the Ponderosa Center in Anaheim, volunteers from SchoolsFirst FCU, Orange County’s Credit Union, Santa Ana Federal Credit Union and Congressman Lou Correa’s office engaged with more than 80 students, helping them gain practical knowledge about budgeting, managing finances and understanding the challenges of living within their means.

Each year, as a sponsor of Bite of Reality through the Richard Miles Foundation, SchoolsFirst FCU leads thousands of students through this financial education program at schools across California.