Samuel Ossa will walk into his senior year at Angeline Academy of Innovation on Thursday, Aug. 13 with something most classmates won't have: a Certified Financial Counselor credential and a summer of paid work behind a credit union teller line.

Ossa is one of six Pasco County high school students who spent the summer processing real banking transactions at Achieva Credit Union branches through a paid internship program now in its second year. The program grew out of a pitch by Chad Mallo, the lead business and entrepreneurship teacher at Angeline Academy, who spent two decades in banking before switching to the classroom.

"I love this job and I can't get enough of it," Ossa told Spectrum Bay News 9. "If this place was opened all the time, I would always be here."

When Florida's Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act took effect for the class entering ninth grade in 2023-24, it required every student to complete a half-credit in personal financial literacy to graduate. Mallo noticed the curriculum tracked closely with the Certified Financial Counselor credential he had earned as an Achieva employee. He called the credit union's CEO directly, according to a Tampa Bay Beacons report, and negotiated a deal allowing up to 10 students per year to sit for the same certification the credit union normally reserves for select employees.

Students who pass the exam become eligible for paid summer internships. This year's cohort, Chris Vargas, Jacob Malone, Kendyl Mathews, Samuel Ossa, Santanna Broxton and Sarah Daniel, worked across three Achieva branches under the credit union's Students on the Job Learning program.

Mallo, named a 2025 A+ Teacher by Spectrum Bay News 9, told the station that when school resumes, most students haven't spent the summer in a professional setting. His interns return with months of real-world practice. Mallo said he hopes to expand the program. Currently, up to 10 students per year can earn the certification, and six interned this summer.

Achieva Branch Development Manager Angelica Verville told Bay News 9 the credit union feels "privileged" to help the students grow. Ossa told the station the internship sharpened his communication skills, saying the ability to talk confidently with anyone will serve him in whatever career he pursues.

What Wesley Chapel families should know

Angeline Academy of Innovation is a grades 6-12 STEM magnet school in Land O' Lakes, part of Pasco County Schools. It opened in August 2023 and earned an "A" grade from the Florida Department of Education in both years since. The school offers five career pathways, including the Entrepreneurship track where Mallo teaches.

Wesley Chapel families can access Angeline Academy through the district's school choice process. Program details are available at aai.pasco.k12.fl.us.

Pasco County's school choice applications open in January through the myStudent portal at pasco.k12.fl.us.