Waltham High basketball coach Mike Wilder opens students’ eyes with financial literacy seminar

Looking back on our high school days, we all remember one teacher who left us with a lasting lesson that we in turn apply to our day-to-day lives.

With the help of a few ambitious students, Waltham High School basketball coach and business teacher Mike Wilder is striving to be that person for his students. 

Wilder hosted a financial literacy seminar last Wednesday at the high school with guest appearances by Waltham Councilor-at-Large and LeBlanc Mechanical owner Randall J. LeBlanc along with Amaris Peña, the Americas Controller Director at Iron Mountain.

“I am proud that financial literacy is gaining some momentum,” Wilder said. “I truly feel like it should be a required course in any school, let alone Waltham High. We are definitely getting there. Ultimately, the students are walking away with a model to follow. They can see that someone can do it.”

Wilder allowed junior Diego Rodriguez and senior Ryan Mullin to run with the initiative. The duo moderated an invigorating discussion as LeBlanc and Peña provided those in attendance with valuable perspectives on how to build a career.

Role models in building a business

LeBlanc, whose business is located on Main Street, focused on driving home the grit that it takes to start a business and the opportunities to set your family up for success once the trade is well established.

“For our kids, I thought it was good with career tech-ed becoming a priority at the high school,” Wilder said. “To see somebody who went through the trades, started their own business, spun it off into real estate and became a pretty successful guy was fantastic. Randy is a Waltham guy, having gone to WHS. Seeing that is inspirational.”

Peña brought her unique point of view into the room, showing students the path of using higher education to secure a prolific career. Peña obtained both an MBA and an MSF from Boston College before embarking on a prosperous journey in accounting. 

Rodriguez had the goal of bringing a Latina voice to the table to represent the diverse crowd. Peña’s experiences displayed a road map to constructing a dynamic corporate career.

“I give Diego a lot of credit,” Wilder said. “It was really cool for the kids to see a face and know that you can do it. To see a Latina woman get to where she is, the takeaway is that this is possible.”

Rodriguez initially joined the stock market club at Waltham High and developed an interest in learning from local voices about how to build a career. 

The group plans to host more panel discussions at the school in the future. About 120 students are currently involved in Wilder’s business class and the program as a whole.

“My job is to spark interest,” Wilder said. “It is so valuable and needs to be done.”