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Paying opportunities forward provides real-life lessons to help students succeed

March 1, 2019
Rudi Thompson
Rudi Thompson

At Hancock Whitney, giving back and paying it forward are important ideals we hold dear—principles central to our company for 100-plus years. We believe in volunteering our time, talent, energy and enthusiasm to make a difference in the communities where
we work and live. We believe that it's especially important to invest in the talent of the future and embrace the opportunity to present career and financial education to young people across our footprint.

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CEO John Hairston presents keynote address at Gulfport High's Rising Star and Financial Education event

On Tuesday, February 26th, Hancock Whitney President and CEO John M. Hairston presented a keynote address to 750 students for Gulfport High School's Junior Class Financial Education Day and Senior Class Rising Stars event. Hairston, a Gulfport High graduate, addressed students before they rotated through a half-day of real-life money management lessons from Hancock Whitney bankers and other financial services professionals on topics critical for more secure financial futures: personal banking, credit and lending, investing, insurance and compensation, benefits, and taxes. The Senior “Rising Stars” rotated through half-day seminars covering job applications and interviews, financial education, social media dos and don’ts, counseling re-cap for post-graduation next-steps and a session to assist students with proper dress, personal marketing and business etiquette. Hancock Whitney representatives and 90-plus other business professionals participated in several of the senior seminars, offering graduating GHS students valuable information and one-on-one feedback.

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Click the image above to see gallery of photos from the event

This unique partnership between local business and industry and Gulfport High School provides GHS students a head start with the essential skills they will need beyond high school. The program also provides GHS access to comprehensive financial education aligned with State of Mississippi financial literacy requirements designed to help boost Mississippi students’ financial knowledge.