Orion Gives Back: Teaching Life-Long Financial Lessons
The Orion U.S. teams are each taking a day to give back to the communities in which we live and work. A big thank you to Moon Adnan and Stephanie Airebamen for capturing how the Orion U.S. Finance team utilized their skills and experience to help others.
Working in Finance, it can be easy getting lost in Excel spreadsheets and staring at numbers all day, especially during month end close. Before we got knee-deep into our busiest time of year, the Orion U.S. Finance team wanted to come together as a group, enjoy each other’s company, and share in a unique experience of collaborating and giving bac
We partnered with the non-profit Junior Achievement, an organization that focuses on giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices.
They achieve this objective through volunteers (that’s us!) who deliver a program to students that focuses on work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. The Orion U.S. Finance team headed to a Queens (NY) elementary school kids to teach this special curriculum.
Reflections from Moon
My group (Kuan-I, Lindsey, Mel, and I) was assigned a group of 5th grade students who were a great bunch of kids and very involved with the lesson plan. At first, it was a bit chaotic controlling 30 or so 10-year-olds, but we slowly learned how to grab their attention through clapping and exclaiming ‘1-2-3, all eyes on me!’”Though the kids were young, they understood the concepts of saving money properly and terms like deposits and withdrawals, even if it was just with their piggy banks. Many of them realized the importance of saving money for long-term goals, while also spending money to enjoy the present, as well. Popular splurges included Jordans, Taylor Swift tickets, and video games. Students also were amazed in how much it costs to start and run a business, even if it is just a simple bakery. “An oven costs how much?!”
My favorite memory was when a student said she liked how different members of the Orion team took turns leading the lesson so that the students could learn more about each of us.
Reflections from Stephanie
I had the pleasure of teaching fifth grade with Ryan, Jason, and Tiana. When we arrived at the class, the students and teacher were very excited to see us and eager to learn what we had in store for them that day. We briefly explained Orion and our roles within the company to them and then we got straight to the lesson.Junior Achievement provided us with materials in advance to teach the kids, which was very helpful. We made sure to tie the games back to the lesson so that the kids would always remember what they learned. Games like Bingo and Monopoly, helped teach the students about money, saving, spending, and how to run a business.
My favorite memory was when a student presented us with their business plans. It was incredible to hear that some students wanted to open a dance studio, restaurants, an animation studio, animal clinic, and so on. Hopefully, most of those businesses will come to fruition with the help of the materials they learned from us!
Working with other finance members outside of our direct groups is a unique and special experience. We were able to think quickly and work effectively with those we don’t work with daily.
After the event, the team all attended a Happy Hour and got a chance to connect outside of the workplace. Throughout this Community Service Day, we learned more about each other and ourselves. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and look forward to hearing about the Community Days from the other Orion U.S. teams. We would gladly volunteer for Junior Achievement again.
