We are excited to announce the September 2026 Financial Goals Scholarship winner is Sarah! Congratulations!
"Thank you for your generosity! I am beyond grateful for being selected for this scholarship which will help me through my college experience as I continue to learn to manage my money and grow academically. Thank you again!" - Sarah M.
College brings together students from many different financial backgrounds and lifestyles. When you’re still learning how to manage money, it can be easy to compare yourself to others or feel pressure to keep up with peers. In her essay, Sarah shares how she has been tempted to spend and how she avoids that financial pressure.
"It's fine, I’m using my parent’s credit card.” I heard this phrase often while I was with my friends on lunch dates, shopping trips, and at gas stations before late night drives. My reaction was always the same: a fake chuckle and move on with the conversation pretending to relate as I pulled out my own debit card to pay for myself. I have always been in a different financial situation than the people around me. While my friends were at high school football games, school dances, and movie nights, I was working a seven-hour shift at the local gym just so I could keep up with their spending. While they were on summer vacations abroad, I was selling my clothes online for extra cash. Throughout high school I did not prioritize saving because it was more important to me to match my friend’s spending and to never say no to a shopping trip. All the while, feelings of jealousy and constant comparison drained me.
A great frustration hit me in July after my senior year of high school. Three of my best friends were surprised by their parents with new matching Ford Edges. While my friends were sending pictures of their brand-new cars to me, I was trying to coordinate with my family how I would get to work. In the same timeframe that my three friends got matching cars, my family’s 2007 sedan was smoking under the hood, out of commission, resulting in my family of 5 to rely on our four-seater Mini Cooper to commute to our distinct destinations.
Although difficult, it was essential that I turned my bitter thinking into a useful, logical mindset. This event opened my eyes to how vastly different our financial situations were. It was only draining me to try to keep up with their spendings since our incomes were incomparable. What was I going to do about it? This was the moment I stopped comparing our situations and took a more personal approach to my finances. I realized that I needed a strict individual budget and saving should be my top priority as I entered the new chapter of my life in college. I researched the best ways to grow my money and began to limit myself by saying no to shopping trips and offering to cook at home rather than going out with my friends.
In the past, my friends have had substantial influences on my life. The financial influence they've had has made me learn that everyone's journey with finances is unique, so there shouldn't be any shame in spending in agreement to the income you have. Although I am still working on not being financially influenced by others, a new leaf has turned in my college lifestyle. I have a strict weekly budget and find it easier to say no to the small purchases throughout the day. I am overcoming the pressures I used to feel placed on me and learning more about money throughout the way!”
Established in the year 1910, 1st Financial Bank USA (1FBUSA) provides quality community banking services in South Dakota, credit card and other financial services to college students and college graduates, and construction lending to builders, developers, and investors from coast to coast. 1FBUSA will award a $2,000 scholarship to a new winner each month. View full rules and eligibility at 1fbusascholarship.com.
