By Christine Fonville
A Stonecrest teen with a mind for managing money has been selected as one of 25 winners across the country to receive a 2024 Prudential Emerging Visionary award.
Fourteen-year-old Caden Harris said his interest in learning about financial literacy led to a number of successful projects that have helped other youth and teens better understand how and why money matters.
“My interest started when I was 7 years old and I would go to business meetings with my dad where they were always talking about financial literacy,” said Harris. “I took it upon myself to learn more and then teach it to other kids in a way that they would understand.”
Harris’ first project was creating decks of financial flashcards with information that was easy for children to learn and understand. “I paid to have 50 decks of financial flashcards printed to sell and I sold out of the cards in a matter of two weeks,” said Harris. “That’s when I knew financial literacy was a need in my community.”
Harris went on to design and sell a puzzle and publish a book all about financial literacy – but his latest project has landed him on the road and on a TV show.
“I kept adding products to my business until it led me to launching my mobile classroom,” said Harris. “I purchased a bus with the money I had earned from selling my products, but I needed more money to renovate the bus. I had a $50,000 capital raise to support the renovation, and that renovation was featured on the show Big RV Remix, airing on Hulu. After adding my financial bus to my tools, I’ve been able to reach even more kids, teaching them in a fun and interactive way.”
According to Harris’ website, the bus is equipped with three TVs, a mock station where teens can learn all about banking, a mock grocery store where participants can learn to budget their money, and a mock stock exchange to learn about stocks.
Now, Harris’ efforts have earned him the title of Emerging Visionary through Prudential Financial.
The annual award “honors exceptional students ages 14 to 18 who have created innovative, bold solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities,” according to Prudential Financial’s website.
Harris will receive a $5,000 award to help take his innovation to the next level, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip for a three-day summit in April where he will receive coaching, skills development and networking opportunities with Prudential Financial employees and other young leaders, according to a news release.
“It’s great to be recognized for my work in my community, but to also have help funding my mission and the mentorship that comes with it is immeasurable,” said Harris. “I’m also excited to connect with other teens who are also taking their missions to the next level.”
Harris said his plans include introducing his financial literacy lessons to the rest of the world.
“My goal is to teach over 500,000 kids about financial literacy, globally,” said Harris. “I have recently added at textbook curriculum to my program that can be implemented in any middle school.”
To learn more and to book the bus, visit www.cadenteaches.com
Read the article on the Champion Newspaper
