Reynaud regularly speaks with students at the Fresno State business school about financial literacy, building credit and more.
10/12/2022 11:30 A.M.
3 minute read
Each semester, ACA International President Courtney Reynaud speaks to a class of business students at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State). Her most recent session presented an interesting lesson—only five or six students said they currently had a credit card.
In past classes, almost all the students said they had a credit card. Reynaud then asked the students how many had accessed a copy of their credit report in the past year from a source other than Credit Karma. Only three students raised their hand, she said.
That is one reason why Reynaud, president of Creditors Bureau USA, continues to talk about these topics with the students at Fresno State.
“I speak on the importance of establishing and maintaining good credit during and after college,” Reynaud said.
For the students who hadn’t accessed a copy of their credit report, Reynaud gave them information on how they can pull a free credit report each year from the three credit reporting agencies on www.annualcreditreport.com.
Reynaud’s connection to Fresno State dates back to her teen years when she was working part-time as a collector at Creditors Bureau to pay her bills. She also studied psychology at the university during that time and realized she could incorporate the concepts she was learning in her psychology classes into her work at Creditors Bureau, Reynaud recalled in an interview for Collector magazine.
While Reynaud didn’t graduate from Fresno State, she remains active with the school today by regularly speaking to business students about financial literacy.
Reynaud said she also discusses student loans, dos and don’ts of credit in college, medical debt credit reporting and other credit reporting trends, identity theft and fraud and how to avoid scams, among other topics.
Students in the class often have questions about how to access their credit report and the impact of payments, loans and applying for credit on their credit score, she said.
“I’ve been a financial literacy guest speaker at Fresno State for the last five years, and every time I speak, I always get so much more out of it than I expect,” Reynaud said.
Going forward, in addition to speaking with business class students, Reynaud said the dean at Fresno State has taken notice of her work and they are working on setting up an opportunity for her to speak to students in the entire business department.
“It’s truly one of the most valuable things for students, and I wish other schools would incorporate financial literacy into their curriculum,” Reynaud said.
Financial Literacy Resources
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Related Content from ACA International:
ACA President Courtney Reynaud Shares Leadership Vision
At ACA’s Convention & Expo in July, Reynaud took the stage at the president’s closing celebration to begin her term as president, bolstered by years of experience in leadership and advocacy. Read about her vision for the year ahead here.
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