Westchester Community College (WCC), located in Valhalla, N.Y., is a public community college within the State University of New York system. WCC serves 21,000 full- and part-time students and 10,000 noncredit students.
Supported by funding from JPMorgan Chase, WCC started the Center for Financial and Economic Education in 2011, with a goal of providing personal finance education to the campus community. Since that time, the program has grown to include financial coaching, classes, and workshops, involving over 4,000 students. In 2014, the college launched the Money Smart Forum, a financial coaching program, that became the model for the Money Smart Financial Coaching Program.
WCC Team
Lori Stasieluk, Program Administrator
Marisa DiBenigno, Coach
Yolanda Candelario, Coach
Teresita Wisell, VP Workforce Development and Community Education
WCC Course Based Model
Westchester Community College offers a noncredit personal finance program, which includes a series of lectures and one-on-one financial coaching. Students can attend the class sessions either in person or online, and the topics are aligned with the curriculum modules developed for the MSFCP™. Students meet individually with a financial coach either in person or remotely, to set goals, create a budget, improve their credit, and learn about smart financial decision-making. WCC partners with the JPMorganChase Community Manager to deliver sessions throughout the semester.
WCC Innovative Practices
The MSFCP™ is open to any student on campus, including credit and noncredit students. The WCC team conducts active outreach to students who are in Business and Accounting, Opportunity Programs, Student Clubs, and English as a Second Language programs. As a result, the students in the program represent a broad spectrum of students at the college. Coaching practices result in students developing financial wellness habits and smart decision-making. Outcomes from the program show that students learn behaviors around setting goals, saving, budgeting, reducing debt, and improving credit.
Progress to Date
For the 2025 Fall Semester, WCC enrolled 27 students. 55 completed the course and participated in at least two financial coaching sessions for a completion rate of 55.6%. Other milestones include:
- 93% of the students participated in 3+ coaching sessions
- 100% created a budget
- 80% achieved a financial goal
- 33% increased their credit score while participating in MSFCP with an average increase of 39 points
- 40% increased their savings while participating in MSFCP with an average savings increase of $354