For my thesis, I chose to write a children’s book on financial education. The purpose of the book is to introduce financial terms such as savings, loans, and opportunity cost into a child’s life. The goal of the book is to inspire young individuals to start having open discussions about their finances and what these terms mean as well as how it applies to their daily lives.

The inspiration of the book came from my personal upbringing. I was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, where I would see title loans businesses in every street corner. Many close family friends grew a dependency on these loans. As I grew older, I became aware of the long-term effects these businesses had on these families and I became inspired to make a change.

My book is meant to introduce simple financial terms into a child’s life with the hopes that they will begin to converse with family and friends about these terms. My book specifically incorporates the terms: loans, opportunity costs, savings, and affordability. These four topics were chosen through surveying a high school class by gathering information such as what they know, how much they know, and what they would like to learn more about. The intended audience would be students reading at a 3rd grade reading level. This grade level is ideal for my book based off information found on the Arizona Department of Education’s website. Final revisions were done with the help of my committee as well as through feedback received from children.

The book itself is 31 pages long with illustrations on every page. The illustrations consist of photographs and drawings. The drawings were purposely placed, roughly, and without color, on the photographs to symbolize the rough patches in life in yet a colorful world.

Proposition 1184 plays a major role in the future of my book. Proposition 1184 is
currently working its way through the Arizona legislature and would require all high school students to take a class on financial basics, replacing the current economics class requirement. I plan to continue working with Mesa Public Schools to get my book, or a similar project, incorporated into the Mesa Public Schools curriculum. I envision the book starting discussions related to financial topics which will in turn familiarize children with these terms’ definitions and begin the movement of financial education in Arizona.

The following paper is a proposal for marketing materials advertising the W. P. Carey Leaders Academy and the experience of business students in Barrett, The Honors College. There is a distinct need for materials that market to and inform prospective students about the experiences and feeling of community that can be attained from being a student in the W. P. Carey Leaders Academy, which is "a community designed exclusively for premier students enrolled in the W. P. Carey School of Business" (W. P. Carey Leaders Academy). The challenge of successfully creating these materials was approached with various methods of data collection and research. The data collection included a review of Arizona State University (ASU), the W. P. Carey School of Business, and Barrett, The Honors College marketing materials, a review of materials from competing institutions, and scholarly articles on the subject of recruitment and marketing. Admission-based data from groups of excelling students was featured. Finally, interviews and surveys with current faculty, staff, and students were conducted to supplement the research and data collection. Analysis of the data provided insight into best practices when marketing from universities and provided an understanding of appropriate methods for marketing this information. The data indicated that creating an online viewbook, like the one currently marketing the entire business school, as well as providing a physical postcard mailer directing students to the online viewbook, would be the best strategy for marketing the W. P. Carey Leaders Academy. The sections of the viewbook this paper proposes to include are Why the W. P. Carey Leaders Academy, W. P. Carey Leaders Academy Experience, Student Life, Academic Success, Involvement, Scholarship, Professional Future, Barrett, The Honors College, For Parents, and Next Steps. Details of the Time, Cost, and Project Personnel follow.

Although the number of women earning college degrees and entering the workforce is increasing, a gender gap persists at top leadership positions. Women are faced with numerous challenges throughout the talent pipeline, challenges that often drive women out of the workforce. This paper looks at the power of mentoring and how women, particularly young women, have the potential to overcome these challenges through a successful mentoring relationship. We use examples of successful mentoring programs at the corporate and university level to support the development of a mentoring program at the high school level. Our paper presents the research and development process behind the Young Women in Leadership (YWiL) Workshop, a half-day event that focused on bringing awareness to the importance of mentoring and leadership at the high school level while providing young women with the confidence and knowledge to begin to establish their own mentoring relationships.