Ronan Buckley serves with YFEI because he believes no student should have to learn about money for the first time in the middle of a crisis. From watching classmates juggle college costs, credit, and family responsibilities with almost no guidance, he saw how the lack of financial education quietly widens inequality. Through YFEI, Ronan is committed to building a future where every high school student is taught how to save, invest, and protect themselves from predatory financial products: so financial stability becomes a norm, not a privilege.

Elisabeth Grove serves with YFEI because she has been lobbying for change for as long as she can remember: starting with convincing her parents at the dinner table and eventually advocating in statehouses as a representative with Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Now a student at Georgetown University, she is driven by the belief that young people should not only understand the financial systems that shape their lives but also know how to influence them. Through YFEI, Elisabeth hopes to keep turning her early advocacy instincts into lasting policy that expands financial education access nationwide.