"Reality U: A financial literacy simulation of the future for today's students"

Patrick Sehl, Jr is the Director of Reality U at The Pando Initiative. Patrick connects to students across the state of Kansas in middle and high schools by championing the idea that their effort in school really does matter. By engaging students in an interactive way during Reality U, he assists them in planning for their future through learning about financial literacy. 

Patrick may be originally from the West Coast, but he has established roots in Kansas for the last 22 years. He believes it's easy to love the mountains or the beach but it takes a soul to love the prairie. He enjoys watching his boys play soccer and listening to his little girl play piano. He also just adopted a kitten from the Kansas Humane Society named “Maui” who is a 1 pound creature of pure raw fighting power. Maui is the runt of the litter and reminds him why he loves fighting for the underdog. 

Reality U brings a bit of “reality” to students through a 75-minute interactive and engaging personal finance simulation. Students imagine their life as a 26-year-old and complete an online lifestyle survey. This information is entered into our trademarked software, along with their current GPA, to create a unique and individualized future scenario.

Each scenario includes the student’s monthly income, credit card debt, student loan information, as well as marital and family status. Students are given a checkbook register to track their monthly purchases from the 12 booths representing services and/or products that adults typically must purchase or consider each month. Sometimes they must return a “purchase” and make a different decision. The checkbook register can’t fall below zero!

This event actively engages students to help them understand the importance of how their performance in school today impacts their future. It also provides the community an opportunity to share in local students’ learning and developing an understanding of the world of work.