ROCK SPRINGS – Rock Springs High School Satellite School students got a bite of reality during a special activity they participated in Tuesday afternoon.

Trona Valley Federal Credit Union hosted a personal finance program called Bite of Reality. Students downloaded an app to their phones to participate and receive instructions about the program. 

The program aims to give students an example of a day in the life of an adult. Students are randomly assigned a persona that includes an occupation, monthly income, and debts.

They are tasked with making decisions about housing, transportation, groceries, childcare, etc. Some students were single and others were married, but all were parents and had to consider childcare in their budgetary decisions. They also had options to shop for personal wants, and a credit union was available to students for financial counseling.

The program is tailored to seniors and juniors, with plans to focus specifically on juniors next year. 

“It really aligns with our goal of setting young people up for financial success,” Melanie Hutchison, a Trona Valley FCU employee helping organize the event said.

This isn’t the first time the credit union has hosted a financial education program. Last year, it hosted a similar program called Reality Town. Hutchison said the credit union received a grant to host the Bite of Reality program. 

Heidi Rubich, a teacher who helped organize the event, said the school wants to teach students 21st-century life and job skills. She said financial literacy isn’t part of the school’s curriculum, but said the topic is important enough to bring to the high school.