CLEVELAND — Recent research from Junior Achievement and Citizens Bank shows more than half of teens say they feel unprepared for financing their future, which can make paying for college seem daunting. 

What You Need To Know

  • David Moore is a senior at Lake High School in Stark County

  • Moore is one of many college students trying to find ways to pay for school

  • Research also said rising education costs have affected student plans for education after high school

  • The state of Ohio will soon start requiring students to take at least one course in personal finance

18-year-old David Moore is reading his own poem called “Memories".

“Dark and yet so cold. Four walls plastered with white paint. No light, no warmth, this is my prison, my hellish reality,” Moore said.  

Moore wrote the poem to share what it was like to live with his first adoptive parents.

“They weren’t the best people.," he said. "They weren’t what a lot of people would consider capable parents."

Moore doesn’t just excel in poetry, but also math. His academic success has him bound for the University of Akron in the fall.

However, according to numbers from Junior Achievement and Citizens Bank, he’s one of the 54% of teens who feel unprepared to handle their financial future, like paying for college. 

“When I first started, I didn’t know exactly where to look," said Moore. "I didn’t have any help from my mom or my dad, so I was constantly just searching through the college I wanted to go through for financial aid opportunities."

Moore has benefited from financial education classes provided by Lake High School and said they've taught him to tap different options to help pay for school. After spending seven years in the foster care system, Moore said he's hoping to create a better life for himself through college. 

“School was the one place that I excelled at, school and some athletics," he said. "Me being able to like feel proud of myself through schooling really helped me to keep going." 

The state will soon require students to take at least one course in personal finance, which experts believe could help.

“I think it will really empower families to start having those discussions and for students to feel empowered to have those discussions with their families,” said Senior Vice President of College Partnerships Mindy Hager.

College Partnerships is a program through Citizens Bank that helps students financially plan for college.

Hager said some common advice for students is to look anywhere and everywhere a scholarship is available, check with the school about scholarships, never pay for a scholarship search and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. That last point is the most important, according to Hager.

“Some scholarships, depending on the institution, may require the FAFSA to be completed, so making sure that they are actually going through that process and ensuring that they’re completing it through the federal government," said Hager. "Then making sure that they are following up, completing it through the deadlines. 100 percent the first thing that I would advocate."

Moore also plans to join Akron’s track team as a walk-on and said he’s looking forward to studying criminal justice and law.

“Don’t let people tell you who you are and who you can be, if you think you can become something, do it," Moore said. "If you think you’ll succeed at it, do it. Don’t hold yourself back."