Roberta Aigbokhaevbo of Thomas Jefferson High School Named Teacher of the Quarter

Roberta Aigbokhaevbo, an economics and personal finance teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, has been named a recipient of Virginia Credit Union’s Teacher of the Quarter recognition program.

The program recognizes K-12 teachers who teach economics and personal finance in Virginia. 

In appreciation of her work, Roberta won $250 from Virginia Credit Union. She was nominated by Darlene Smith, a colleague who works in career and technical education for Richmond Public Schools.

 
Roberta has taught Economics and Personal Finance since 2011. She became a high school teacher in 2008 after running her own temporary employment agency and work as an accountant for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Every year, Roberta challenges her students with the “Baby Boomer Budget Project” in which they have to make choices about living expenses and spending based on a full-time minimum wage salary.

“The exercise helps the students understand and appreciate it more when their parents tell them they don’t have money for this or that,” Roberta says. “It really forces them to look at life and see the connection between budgeting and lifestyle.”

Roberta has been recognized as a national Gold Star Teacher based on her students’ high achievement. 

Another unit in the required Economics and Personal Finance course covers investing and the stock market. Although the subject matter is unfamiliar to many of the students, Roberta says they enjoy the research and competition of The Stock Market Game™, a national educational resource of the SIFMA Foundation.

Roberta is the fourth teacher to be honored through Virginia Credit Union’s quarterly recognition program for teachers. 

A financial cooperative serving more than 265,000 members, Virginia Credit Union offers a variety of affordable banking services, loans, mortgages, and free financial education resources, with a focus on helping people be more confident with their finances. Virginia Credit Union is an equal housing opportunity lender and is federally insured by NCUA.