Kyla finds HOPE, banking career path in Francis Tuttle Accounting

"Everything you learn in that course is something you can use in real life, whether it’s in the work place or with your finances. Take away everything you can, because it’s all good knowledge.”

Kyla Hopper arrived at Francis Tuttle by working to complete her high school diploma, and now she’s pursuing a successful career in accounting and finance.

After completing her high school diploma through Francis Tuttle’s Project HOPE, Kyla found her calling in Accounting and graduated the program as a Full Charge Bookkeeper. Now she’s working as a teller at People’s Bank & Trust where she hopes to work her way up to bigger roles.

“We’re a small bank, and I can take on different roles here,” Kyla said. “It’s a good way to get your foot in the door for more opportunities. You can learn a lot from working in a bank.”

Project HOPE is a program that helps high school students avoid dropping out. It allows students to focus on their school work with the ultimate goal of completing high school. 

“It really helped me to just focus on what I need to focus on. They work on you,” Kyla said. “It helped me to learn a lot of obedience and learn what I needed to do to achieve my goals.”

At the same time, students explore career training opportunities, and for Kyla, Accounting is the program that stood out.

“The book work and the paper, writing everything down and seeing everything; the organization is what I really liked about accounting,” Kyla said.

Project HOPE students also spend time learning life skills, concepts that will help them beyond high school. Kyla developed an appreciation for budgeting and financial health not only as a potential career path, but also as something that can help her in everyday life.

Kyla completed the Full Charge Bookkeeper course in Accounting with instructor Jayne Hudson. The class includes instruction in accounts payable and accounts receivable, knowledge that helped Kyla quickly land a job with People’s Bank.

Kyla said she also benefited from the real-world applications taught in Francis Tuttle accounting classes.

“[Ms. Hudson] taught it as we were in the real world and doing it, and that helped me a lot,” Kyla said. “She set us up like how it would be in the work place. She used scenarios that we would see in real life.”

It wasn’t easy, Kyla said. But knowing it would help her land a successful job someday kept her going.

“I wanted to quit so many times, but I stuck with it. So stick with it,” Kyla said. “Learn everything you can. Everything you learn in that course is something you can use in real life, whether it’s in the work place or with your finances. Take away everything you can, because it’s all good knowledge.”