Learning to Lead Through Financial Literacy

At Hwa Chong, Sabbatical Week gives students opportunities to learn practical skills beyond the regular curriculum, while also allowing some students to take on leadership roles as student trainers. In this reflection, Wu Yulin shares how serving as a student trainer for the Financial Literacy Sabbatical deepened his own understanding of money management while teaching him how to adapt, engage others, and lead with patience. 

Written by: Wu Yulin (4A2, 2026)

During my time as a student trainer for the Financial Literacy Sabbatical course, I reinforced my existing knowledge and even learnt new concepts that were previously unfamiliar to me. Under the guidance of external trainer Mr Ernest Tan, founder of Jopez Academy, author of “Raising Financially Savvy Kids”, and a financial literacy educator, I strengthened my understanding of budgeting, interest, and managing risk in financial markets.

To me, this course is crucial for every student. Learning financial literacy at a young age is important as it helps us develop good money habits early. Through this, we can learn to manage our finances wisely and avoid poor financial decisions in the future, thereby minimising financial troubles later in life.

Despite some initial challenges, such as keeping students interested and actively involved in the activities, Mr Tan and I adapted our teaching methods by making the lessons more interactive and unpredictable. This eventually encouraged greater participation and engagement. 

I would personally recommend this sabbatical to anyone seeking to learn financial literacy as a life skill. It not only prepares us for future responsibilities, but also encourages us to make informed and responsible decisions. More importantly, being a student trainer allowed me to grow in confidence, patience, and adaptability as I learnt how to guide others. I am grateful to the school for giving me this opportunity, and for helping me see financial literacy not just as knowledge to acquire, but as a skill to share meaningfully with others.