A financial curriculum on evolving currency has bettered the lives of 55 business students at the Xavier University of Louisiana.

According to a press release sent to AfroTech, the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) partnered with Circle Internet Financial for its Circle U: Digital Financial Literacy pilot program, which launched in September 2022 across four HBCUs.

“Xavier University is keenly aware of the importance of providing its students with the critical foundational knowledge provided in Circle U,” Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy at Circle, said in a news release. “We’re thrilled that faculty and students at Xavier are extracting value, and we look forward to expanding the pilot to include even more HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions in 2023.”

The curriculum is targeted toward underserved and marginalized communities and provides knowledge on concepts that include “the evolution of money, Bitcoin and blockchain technology, Ethereum and tokenization, layers and interoperability, Web3 and applications, policy and regulation; and a Web3 tutorial.”

“At Xavier, we believe in providing students with access to a wide range of content to help them make sound decisions personally and professionally as they develop into distinguished young professionals,” said Dr. Shael Wolfson, an assistant professor in Xavier’s Business Administration and Economics department. “Xavier was already working on blockchain projects when Circle U became available, and offering the content to our XCOR 3020 Blockchain, Crypto and Society students was a logical next step in our program’s progression. We are excited to share this content with more students as we move out of the pilot phase.”

“As a firm believer in blockchain and cryptocurrency technology, programs like Circle U help African Americans to start having a seat at the table,” said Kenson Barnes, a senior business management student at Xavier University. “The stock market has been in place for generations, and we could be doing the same to attain generational wealth. The cryptocurrency market is a growing venture and needs more people like us in it.”

What’s more, participants who fulfill the Circle U curriculum will be able to apply early for internships and jobs with Circle.

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