HuckleBerry
Center for Creative Learning
Cynthia Kimura
Cynthia Kimura is a financial mentor guiding young minds towards a future of financial literacy and responsibility. With a passion for empowering students with the knowledge and skills to make informed financial decisions. She brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to her role as an educator with 16 years teaching experience.
Her journey into the world of personal finance began during her own childhood, where she learned the value of money through hands-on experience managing her savings at an early age. This exposure sparked her interest in financial education and planted the seeds for her studies leading to her degree in Consumer Science.
She has volunteered at Dr. William Buckner's Consumer Counseling Center, where she gained valuable experience working with individuals and families navigating through the complexities of budgeting and debt.
Cynthia has gained additional financial experience through her employment as an account for Pioneer Electronics. She became a real estate investor in 2009 and currently manages rental properties for her company. Cynthia is looking forward to creating a dynamic learning environment where students are encouraged to explore topics such as budgeting, saving, spending, and entrepreneurship.
By instilling financial literacy at an early age, Cynthia believes, we can empower students to make sound financial decisions, avoid debt, and achieve their short and long-term goals.
Life Skills! (Continued!)
Prerequisite: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide multi-digit numbers and decimals (money). Basic understanding of percentages.
Homework: Elective Class with Optional Homework.
Get ready for a year that connects money, life, and the future like never before. This is a stand-alone course, so students do not need to have taken last year’s class—everything is built from the ground up while also going deeper and further than before. We’ll begin the year by stepping into the role of investors, and students will invest and track their portfolios throughout the entire year through the Stock Market Game.
In this exciting, hands-on course, students explore how to manage money, make smart financial decisions, and understand the real-world choices that shape adulthood. From first jobs and big purchases to investing in the stock market and building future-ready businesses powered by AI and new technology, this class is all about thinking ahead. We don’t just learn about money—we learn how to use it to build the future.
Our Goal:
Students will leave this course with the confidence and skills to manage real-world money decisions—from budgeting and banking to understanding credit, investing, and major life costs. They will know how to think like smart consumers, future employees, and beginning investors, while also understanding how AI and new technology are shaping careers and financial opportunities. Most importantly, they will walk away prepared to make informed, responsible choices about money, work, and their future.
FALL:
Whether you’re brand new to this class or coming back for more, get ready—this isn’t a repeat, it’s a level-up. This semester takes everything you’ve already learned and goes deeper, sharper, and more real-world. We’ll explore bigger decisions, smarter money moves, and new topics that connect directly to your future.
From your very first paycheck to buying a car, choosing a place to live, or deciding if college is worth it, this course is all about understanding how money really works in the real world—and how to make it work for you.
You won’t just learn about money—you’ll practice thinking like someone who manages it every day.
Money Basics & Budgeting
“Take control of your money before it takes control of you.” Learn how to build smart spending habits, make a budget, and understand the choices behind every dollar.
Banking & Everyday Money
“Your money has a home—learn how to manage it.” Discover how bank accounts, debit cards, and everyday banking tools work in real life.
Income, First Jobs & Careers of the Future
“From first paycheck to future career—start building your path.” Explore how jobs work today and what careers may look like in the future, including how to get your first job and start earning money.
Saving for College or Tech School / Tuition, Costs & ROI
“Is college worth it—and how do you pay for it?” Learn how college / tech school costs work, how people save and pay for education, and how to think about the value (ROI) of different education paths.
Credit, Debt & Financial Traps
“Borrow smart—or pay the price later.” Learn how credit works, how debt builds, and how to avoid financial traps that can follow you into adulthood.
Housing—Renting vs. Buying a Home (types of homes)
“Where you live is one of your biggest financial decisions.” Explore the real costs and differences between renting a place and buying a home, including how home buying actually works.
How to Purchase a Car
“That car is more than just the price tag.” Learn how people buy cars, what financing really means, and the true long-term cost of owning a vehicle.
Consumer Skills & Spending
“Spend smarter, not faster.” Discover how marketing, pricing, and habits influence spending—and how to make smarter buying decisions.
Digital Money & Safety
“If it’s online, it can be risky.” Learn how to safely use digital money tools and recognize scams before they cost you.
WINTER:
Future Entrepreneurs: AI, Innovation & Kidpreneurs of Tomorrow
Ready to think like a future CEO? In this upgraded Kidpreneurs experience, students step into the world of AI-powered business and future innovation. They won’t just create a business—they’ll imagine what businesses could become in a world shaped by technology, creativity, and artificial intelligence.
Students will dream up a future-focused idea, build a brand, and design a logo that brings it to life. Along the way, they’ll explore how entrepreneurs use AI tools, smart marketing, and creative thinking to solve real-world and future problems.
They’ll learn how to:
Spot needs in today’s world—and the world of tomorrow
Build simple business and marketing plans
Think like innovators using AI and technology
Make smart money and startup decisions
The course ends with a Future Market Day, where students showcase their ideas, pitch their businesses, and see how others respond. Will their idea catch on—or need a redesign?
This is more than business—it’s about creativity, innovation, and becoming a future-ready entrepreneur in an AI-driven world.
SPRING:
Investing 2.0: AI, Trends & The Future of Money
Get ready to level up your investing game! In this next-step version of Stock Market Showdown, students move beyond the basics and explore how investing is changing in a world shaped by AI, technology, and new financial trends.
Students will step into the role of modern investors—learning how people grow money through stocks while also exploring newer and emerging types of investment and future-focused industries like AI, robotics, clean energy, and space tech.
Through a hands-on simulation, students will still buy, sell, and track investments—but now they’ll also analyze what’s driving the market in real time, including news, innovation, and global trends. They’ll learn how investors think beyond individual companies and start looking at entire industries and future growth areas.
Along the way, students will explore:
How diversification works across modern investment types
Risk vs. reward in both traditional and emerging markets
How AI and technology influence business growth and investing decisions
Ethical investing and choosing companies that match personal values
How trends like AI, automation, and sustainability shape the future economy
Students will also build charts, track performance, and reflect on how their choices change outcomes—learning that investing is not just about luck, but about strategy, information, and timing.
Whether they grow a virtual fortune or learn from market shifts, students will walk away with a deeper understanding of how money grows in today’s world—and where investing is headed next.
What to Expect in This Course
Hands-on activities
Real-world examples
Fun challenges and role-play situations
Personal reflection