Asian American Heritage Month

Rooted in Purpose, Growing in Impact: Welcoming Kris Anest as ACEE’s New Board Chair Kris has been a longtime supporter of ACEE as a teacher, board member, and corporate partner. Her affiliation with ACEE began in 2004 as a teacher feeding her passion promoting financial literacy among Arizona students. She moved from teaching to work … Read more

Q: What experiences or influences have shaped your passion for financial and economic education?  Financial literacy wasn’t taught at the schools I attended. I really had to do a lot of learning on my own by trial and error, making many expensive mistakes, and ultimately seeking out economic education on my own when I realized … Read more

Honoring Julie Jakubek: A Legacy of Leadership and Service in Financial Education We are incredibly grateful for Julie Jakubek’s unwavering dedication and service to the Arizona Council on Economic Education. Since 2010, Julie has been a driving force in promoting financial literacy among Arizona students. As she wraps up her tenure as Board Chair, we … Read more

Q: How did your family and culture background shaped the person you want to become? My family has been a great support system in my life; encouraging me to pursue my passions. As a first-generation Mexican American, I see how limited educational opportunities have affected my family, which fuels my desire to educate myself and … Read more

Q: How did your family and culture influence who you are today?  My family and culture have profoundly shaped who I am as an individual and educator. Growing up in a household where values such as hard work, education, and financial responsibility were emphasized, I learned early on the importance of budgeting, saving, and making … Read more

Q: How did your family and culture influence who you are today?  My family and my culture have heavily influenced the person I am today. At a very young age, thanks to my family and my cultural background as a daughter to first generation Mexican immigrants, I learned what it means to work hard and … Read more

Q: How did your family and culture influence who you are today?  I didn’t know how important an education was to my mom until my junior year of high school when I told her I wanted to drop out.  I thought when she heard that I wanted to drop out and dive into the workforce … Read more

Q: How did your family and culture influence who you are today?  My family and culture have been instrumental in shaping my identity. From a young age, my parents instilled in me a deep appreciation for my Salvadoran heritage, encouraging me to embrace both its rich traditions and its contemporary relevance. A valuable lesson I learned from my parents … Read more

Q: How did your family and culture influence who you are today?  Growing up, my parents instilled the importance of education to me and my four siblings.  We were taught to work hard and to try to learn as much as we could. My family encouraged me to study engineering and I have a Bachelor’s … Read more