I founded the Bulls and Bears Finance Club to promote financial literacy among students and provide a platform to explore real-world financial concepts such as budgeting, investing, markets, and personal finance. My goal was to bridge the gap between textbook knowledge and real-life financial decision-making while building a collaborative and curious learning environment.
LO1 – Identifying Strengths and Areas for Growth
Leading the club revealed my strengths in simplifying complex financial topics and engaging peers through interactive sessions. However, I found that I needed to improve in pacing the content to ensure all members were equally engaged. This realization encouraged me to focus on adaptability and inclusiveness as a leader and communicator.
LO3 – Demonstrating How to Initiate and Plan a CAS Experience
I initiated the club from scratch—designing its structure, outlining a content calendar, organizing activities like mock stock trading, and delegating responsibilities. Planning topics that were both engaging and educational required foresight and flexibility. This experience strengthened my organizational and leadership skills, teaching me how to structure initiatives that are both sustainable and impactful.
LO4 – Demonstrating Commitment and Perseverance
Running the club required ongoing effort—from maintaining consistency in weekly sessions to staying updated with financial news and preparing engaging content. There were weeks when participation was low or content didn’t go as planned, but I remained committed to improving the experience. This perseverance helped build a stronger, more engaged community over time.
LO7 – Recognizing and Considering the Ethics of Choices and Actions
In a club focused on finance, ethical decision-making was a recurring theme. We discussed the ethics of insider trading, corporate responsibility, and sustainability in investing. As the club leader, I made sure to highlight the importance of making ethical financial decisions and encouraged open conversations around the moral implications of profit-making. This deepened my understanding of how ethics are inseparable from leadership and business practices.
Final Takeaway
This project helped me grow as a Thinker, Communicator, and Principled learner. The highlight was seeing students evolve from being unsure about finance to confidently analyzing real-world markets. Starting and sustaining the club improved my leadership and ethical awareness, and it has inspired me to continue promoting financial education. I hope to scale this initiative or create similar platforms to empower more students with financial knowledge and responsible decision-making skills.
Video Reflction:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t1vhICJfvtLTKVpS6mgRXFHJixnXBK-R/view?usp=sharing
