Wharton Women educate Philly females

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Through various activities including a "Price is Right" game, Wharton Women taught over 180 girls from local high schools the basic tenets of personal finance at their sixth annual DollarDiva Conference.

The conference, one of the largest philanthropy events conducted on campus every year, kicked off Friday morning with the students mingling over Dunkin' Donuts. The ladies were divided into teams, each led by one of the 30 Wharton Women members in attendance.

The mock interview and "Dressing for Success" segment taught the girls what to do and how to act when interviewing with a prospective employer.

Valencia Motley, a senior at the Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology, greatly enjoyed the segment. "I'm learning to be a professional and get the good job I want," she said.

After the first segment, a PowerPoint presentation showed the various ins and outs of credit card and bank account statements, which was then followed by a short quiz on the knowledge they had gained so far. The event consisted of five segments in total.

Wharton Women considers DollarDiva one of its most important events. Six years ago, there were 30 participants - now, due to venue space constraints, they have had to turn away high schools itching to attend.

"We want to facilitate their transition towards becoming responsible adults and making the most of the opportunities presented to them," Wharton junior and vice president of Membership Development Grace McGregor said. "This is really unique because we can do for the local community what we normally do for our members."

Besides learning about financial topics, the girls also heard Penn alumna and admissions officer Elizabeth Downing speak and field questions about the general college application process.

The conference is even getting local students interested in the University. Irin Samuel from George Washington High School is eyeing Penn as her first choice.

"I like what I have seen through DollarDiva. On top of UPenn's new financial aid policy, I am definitely scouting out this place," she said.

At the end of the conference, the top performing girls of each group were selected as "Dollar Divas," and flaunted their ability to turn left in a runway pageant walk-off.

The top five winners were treated to gift bags containing goodies from the club's sponsors, including Macy's.

Wharton Women President Shannon Knee summed up the important takeaways for the young women in attendance. "Besides learning about personal finance, these girls are learning how to make decisions that will position themselves well for the future."

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