GTE Financial has recently started a collaboration with Hillsborough Community College, and local college students on the awareness and importance of financial literacy. This is an attempt to reach out to the younger demographic that you find on collegiate campuses. They have even established a new style bank which targets the younger generation, called the Student Powered Financial Center.

  Financial literacy may be an unknown concept for many students, but it is one that needs to be understood by everyone. Many students are just moving out of their childhood homes and are attempting to become independent of their parents, but do not know how to begin their new journey.

  GTE student relationship officer Adam Knowles, explained what financial literacy meant to him, “What it means is that it provides students with the knowledge and information they need to better their financial status.” Knowles continued with some situations that many students may find themselves in, “When they are ready to move into their own place or have enough funds to get into a new car that they need to help them get ready for life.” Knowles also explained how some of their services differ from an average bank, such as their free savings and checking accounts, but they also offer home and auto loans.

  Knowles explained that GTE is actually a credit union and not a bank, which allows them to take their profits and put it where it benefits their memberships.

  GTE has recently opened a Student Financial Center at 1600 East 8th Ave., Suite E 112 in the Centro Ybor Plaza, just down the street from the HCC Ybor campus. The name says it all, in the sense that these are actual college students who are running the financial center. Knowles is a USF student, who is currently majoring in Finance. GTE offers a variety of opportunities for students who are also looking for jobs; they have a student ambassador program, student internships and student relationship officers. In GTE’s push for the younger generation’s attention, the Student Financial Center is completely run by student relationship officers. GTE is currently in the process of opening up another student financial center on campus at South Eastern University. They hope to have it up and running in early 2015.

  While GTE is attempting to work with college students to educate them about their future finances, they have also taken a step toward a more technologically savvy way of financing. The new Student Powered Financial Center also boasts a technology bar. This is a section of the new financial center that has tablets and smartphones that members can access, in case they are without their own. The technology bar also demonstrates how to download and properly use GTE Financial’s app. The pride and joy of GTE’s technology exhibit, is its brand new On Screen System.

  The best way to describe the On Screen System is to compare it to an average ATM. The On Screen System also has a screen and Web camera that allows you to interact with a GTE employee that is at the GTE home location. This allows the employees at the financial center to help streamline the process and decrease the possibility of longer lines, while also eliminating the need for any of the employees to carry cash on hand, making it a safer environment.

  The staff at GTE Financial are taking steps to help the younger generation understand their financial security and stability, while also speaking to them in through a more modern outlet. This couldn’t be more evident than in their YouTube channel. They are creating webisodes that targeted college students.  

  In the webisodes, students interact with GTE employees and receive some knowledge on financial stability.

  The webisodes will air in January 2015, but the staff are also looking for more students to join them and be a part of the team.

  For more information on how to be a part of the webisodes, visit GTE’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or send an email to studentfinancialcenter@gtefinancial.org.