New program aims to provide financial coaching to UB students

Paying for college can be one of the greatest stressors in a student’s life. A recent survey of 25,000 students showed 65% worried about the cost of their education; a quarter of those were unsure how they would pay for their next semester.

After looking at this data, provided by the Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, staff with UB Health Promotion’s Wellness Coaching program knew something must be done. Students needed support during this turbulent point in their lives.

And with the implementation of the new Financial Wellness Coaching program, UB students now have the opportunity to receive guidance from an expert in the field of financial coaching: Danial Khan, a financial wellness coach sponsored by AmeriCorps’ Economic Opportunity Corps.

“We know it’s hard to focus on grades and make the most of your college experience when you have an economic burden and loans that you might not fully understand,” says Khan, a financial social worker who earned dual master’s degrees in business administration and social work from UB.

“You may not have someone in your life to mentor and guide you in the right direction. So, we want to give students that support so they can focus on school and prepare themselves for the future.”

The program offers a variety of workshops for student on financial wellness and gives them the option to obtain one-on-one training with a financial wellness coach.

“We will have a live session of the workshop,” says Sharlynn Daun-Barnett, coordinator of Health Promotion’s wellness coaching, stress management and smoking/vaping cessation programs. “We will also record a workshop to be shown in the first year seminars and will work in partnership with the First Generation initiative, Educational Opportunity Program, Cora P. Maloney Center programs and the Graduate School.”

To accommodate the student lifestyle, Financial Wellness Coaching also plans to host workshops “in the living-learning communities in the residence halls, and may have drop-in coaching hours on campus,” says Daun-Barnett.

The first workshop is scheduled for Nov. 10. Students can make an appointment with financial coaching services by visiting the Wellness Coaching website.