Chico State’s Alumni Association, Career Center, and Student Life and Leadership are teaming up to host its first ever Adulting 101 workshops in BMU 220 from Feb. 18 to April 21.

These workshops vary from learning basic finances, understanding your personal style, negotiating large life purchases to managing your money after graduating. Each of these workshops is going to help students learn how to be an adult.

Mary Wallmark, Student Life and Leadership program coordinator, was inspired by another colleague, who runs the Path Scholars Program for former foster care youth, to start the Adulting 101 program. While they were talking she discovered that there needed to be a program geared toward life skills, so she started talking to other staff and quickly learned that each department wanted to do something that taught students more about finances and what to do after you graduate.

“We want students to revisit and redevelop what kind of adult they want to be and display,” Wallmark said.

Wells Fargo will also be sponsoring the events. They often like to work with college students and hold their own higher education programs.

Some of the guest speakers include Michael Finney, Bay Area’s Consumer Watchdog, and Thomas Rider, the executive chef for Associated Students. Each guest speaker will help students by talking about personal experiences or simply by hosting in-person demonstrations .

Students around campus are excited about the workshops.

“I would be interested in the Adulting 101 workshops because although the reality is that I am an adult, a lot of times, I don’t feel as though I am,” said Carolina Perez, senior child development major. “There are a lot of ‘adult’ things I don’t know anything about, and it can be intimidating to ask for help on something you should already know. It’s comforting to know there’s a place we as college students can get together and face an intimidating topic together.”

Students who attend the events will be entered to win prizes such as T-shirts, gift cards and stickers. Each workshop will have its own related topic prizes, for instance during the healthy cooking workshop, veggie bucks will be given to attendees. With the veggies bucks, students can purchase organic vegetables from Wednesday’s Farmers Market on campus.

“I would only actually go to one or two of the workshops if they’re beneficial to me and if it’s an actual need right now,” said Paola Bravo, first year biology major.

Helping graduating seniors become successful alumni is what Susan Anderson, Alumni and Parent Relations assistant vice president, hopes to accomplish.

If the workshops prove popular, the Career Center, SLL and Alumni Association hope to continue these workshops every year.

Yoselin Calderon can be reached at [email protected] or @ymarcane on Twitter.