Live From Boston: Preparing Rural Students With Practical Personal Finance Skills (Episode 28)
Welcome to #CreditChat Live From Boston, a special limited series within the #CreditChat Live podcast featuring conversations with educators and advocates from the Jump$tart National Educator Conference — dedicated to exploring the future of financial literacy in America’s classrooms.
This episode features Sahvanna Mease, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Calhoun High School in Calhoun, Colorado, recorded live in Boston, Massachusetts at the 16th annual National Educator Conference (NEC). An 11-year classroom veteran and Jump$tart ambassador, Sahvanna has dedicated her career to bringing life skills and personal finance education to a small rural community — and making it stick.
Christina and Rod sit down with Sahvanna to hear how she fought to bring Family and Consumer Sciences to a district that didn’t have it, how she teaches credit and financial decision-making through the lens of small-town agriculture, and why applied, hands-on learning is the only way to prepare students for real financial life. She shares the story of a student who hit her savings goal in a single month — and then raised the bar for herself.
Sahvanna closes with a powerful reminder that a healthy relationship with money isn’t just about budgeting — it’s about breaking cycles, protecting your future relationships, and refusing to let finances become a dark cloud over your life.
#CreditChat Live is a podcast series hosted by Experian, featuring expert insights on a variety of financial topics, from credit scores to debt management. Join co-hosts Rod Griffin and Christina Roman for enlightening discussions aimed at empowering you to achieve financial success. Join us in our evolution from the decade-long #CreditChat on X, hosted every Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. Follow @Experian on X, @Experian.us on Instagram, and @ExperianNews on Facebook & TikTok for updates!
You can subscribe to the #CreditChat Live podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Audible, iHeart Radio, Google Play, Deezer, and YouTube.
Watch the full video episode here!
About Sahvanna Mease
Sahvanna Mease is a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Calhoun High School in Calhoun, Colorado, with 11 years of experience in education. She is a Jump$tart Ambassador and four-time attendee of the Jump$tart National Educator Conference, dedicated to bringing hands-on, relevant financial literacy education to students in small rural communities. Sahvanna is passionate about helping students build healthy, confident relationships with money that will serve them throughout their lives.