Leading + Mentoring in Financial Literacy

Nearly 100 eighth-grade girls from around Berkshire County came to campus in mid-March to participate in the 25th(!) Annual Money Matters financial literacy workshops.

The day’s interactive, student-driven program featured a keynote from Jess Rufo ’99, entrepreneur and owner of local-favorite Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, followed by a full-group information session and breakout sessions led by math-minded MHS juniors.

Enjoying a day on campus were students from BART Charter Public School in Adams, Berkshire Country Day School in Stockbridge, W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School, Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown, Hoosac Valley Middle School in Cheshire, Richmond Consolidated, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, St. Agnes Academy in Dalton, and Reid Middle School in Pittsfield.

During her remarks, which opened the morning in Centennial Hall, Jess recounted the journey that led her to launch Dottie’s as a way to bring people together and to grow community. Opened in 2007, the North Street coffee shop, eatery, and entertainment hub is a downtown Pittsfield fixture.

Jess touched on some of the lessons she has learned during nearly two decades of business ownership, such as the importance of investing in oneself, taking risks, and overcoming failure and “imposter syndrome.” She also noted that there are many rewards to running your own business, but it includes sacrifice, having the courage to create a dream, and being willing to ask for help when it is needed.

Following Jess’s presentation, Maddie Craig ’26, Ploy Jongjaroonrungson ’26, and Akshara Muthavarapu ’26 led a full workshop for all participants, focused on financial terms and the importance of having a financial plan.

In the breakout sessions that followed, Izzy Aponte ’26, Emily Nguyen ’26, Paw Nguyen ’26, and Nefertiti Williams-Jack ’26 led a budgeting workshop in which students were given money to buy a week’s worth of groceries from a fictional store. In another workshop, Bea Gilb ’26, Rafi Hernandez Unger ’26, Simma Krantz ’26, and Noya Samara ’26 led a “shark tank” session, in which students were tasked with planning and pitching an entrepreneurial idea to potential funders.

The juniors did an excellent job leading and mentoring!