Winston-Salem, N.C. (May 18, 2009) – Have you ever had a moment where you’ve thought to yourself, “I could have invented that?” A unique partnership between Truliant Federal Credit Union and Forsyth Technical Community College gave students the chance to test their innovation skills by taking part in the first ever Truliant Financial Fair. Students had the opportunity to create a product or service for the credit union and Truliant offered a prize of $3,000 for first place and $1,500 for second.

“The Fair in and of itself is an innovation and we are delighted to pilot the program with Forsyth Tech,” said Ginger Salt, senior vice president of markets for Truliant. “It was an open opportunity for students to put their imaginations to the test and come up with a product or service that is relevant to the financial industry and one that also benefits the member-owners of Truliant.”

Students submitted applications for the Fair along with their innovative idea and Truliant selected the top 10 entries to be part of the competition. At the Fair students presented their idea and research to a panel of judges made up of Truliant and Forsyth Tech staff. The first and second place winners were:

First Place: Kayla Hall
Innovation: Booksmart

Second Place: Linda Burnette
Innovation: Debit Card Education

“My experience with the fair was mentally challenging and thought provoking,” said Kayla Hall. “I enjoyed having an opportunity to express my creativity and learn more about developing programs at the same time. I asked myself questions such as ‘Who will this benefit’ and ‘How will it work’ and generated answers accordingly. Also I believe in my idea, which made for a more interesting journey.” 

Hall’s first place idea consisted of a book buy-back program that would allow students to get a loan to pay for things such as tuition and school books and at the end of each semester when they sell their books back the proceeds would go directly to paying off the loan with Truliant.

About Truliant Federal Credit Union
Truliant Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, financial institution that provides affordable financial services to its member-owners. Truliant was chartered in 1952 and now serves more than 181,000 members and has 25 member financial centers in NC, SC, OH and VA. For more information on Truliant Federal Credit Union, visit TruliantFCU.org.