Cailyn Sanders, Wins OneUnited Bank 13th Annual “I Got Bank” 2023 Youth Essay & Art Contest

OneUnited Bank, the nation’s largest Black-owned bank, has named local Miami Lakes student Cailyn Sanders, 11, as one of ten youth winners of the13th annual “I Got Bank!” Youth Essay & Art Contest which promotes financial literacy among children ages 8 to 12.

Cailyn Sanders

Cailyn is receiving a $1,000 OneUnited Bank savings account. The panel of judges, which included Bank President & COO Teri Williams and Senior Vice President and Chief Retail Officer Sherri Brewer, were overwhelmingly impressed with her insightful essay depicting the importance of financial literacy and savings

Teri Williams

Williams commented, “Interestingly, this year the most prevalent themes in the submissions were more positive, with a focus on thriving rather than overcoming economic challenges. We believe the more aspirational themes may be a result of a stronger employment market for their parents. We congratulate our winners, their families and all participants in the contest.” Williams wrote the book I Got Bank! What My Grandad Taught Me About Money (Beckham), after discovering the lack of books geared toward educating urban youth about financial literacy.

Fellow winners across the United States are Zoey Bradley, 9, Columbia, MD, Jada Current, 12, Buckeye, AZ, Kailee Marie Friend, 8, Hawthorne, CA, Taelyn Johnson, 9, Dorchester, MA, Sue Lee, 12, Los Angeles, CA, Ian Robinson Jr., 11, Middletown, DE, Aydin M. Soner, 9, Columbia, SC, Katalyn Wiley, 11, Conway, AR, and Tatyana Wright, 12, Columbia, SC.

The “I Got Bank!” youth essay & art contest is part of a larger OneUnited Bank initiative to make financial literacy a core and commonplace value of the Black community. To learn more about past I Got Bank winners, please visit the OneUnited Bank Financial Literacy Blog.

OneUnited Bank also offers its robust Financial Education Center with online playlists on Financial Basics, Major Life Decisions, Starting a Career, Small Business and Preventing Elder Fraud. OneUnited Bank hopes its efforts will improve the financial skills of children and adults throughout the country.

Cailyn Sanders

More on OneUnited Bank

OneUnited Bank (www.oneunited.com) is the largest Black-owned bank in America, the first Black internet bank, a Minority Depository Institution, and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

By ML Staff. Images courtesy of OneUnited Bank.