As Myanna Daniels’ sixth grade year gets underway at Breakthrough's Willard campus, she’s grateful for the real-world lessons she learned during the summer.
Participating in Open Doors Academy programming at Cleveland State University, Myanna explored both robotics and financial literacy through ODA’s Dream Big Academy week. While she enjoyed coding robots and navigating obstacle courses with her teammates, one thing stood out: how to make thoughtful decisions with money.
Through an interactive budgeting simulation called “Spend It,” Myanna and her friends in the camp group were challenged to manage housing, transportation, food, and other expenses on a limited budget.
"You can't spend your money all in one place," Myanna said when asked about her biggest takeaway from the experience. "You have to be mindful of what you get, because if I get something big right now, I won't be able to get something later that I would really like."
The lesson quickly translated into real life.
"Before, I used to buy a whole bunch of chips and pop and stuff," she said. "Now if I only get two bags of chips and a pop, it'll hold me over for a day, and I won't go back until a few weeks later."
In robotics, Myanna discovered new possibilities through technology, learning how to program and control robots using coding blocks on an iPad.
"I feel like anything is possible, especially when it comes to computers and phones and technology," she said.
Myanna is looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of school at Breakthrough Willard. Whether she's budgeting for the future, coding a robot, or competing on the court, Myanna is building confidence and skills that will serve her well in sixth grade and beyond.
