Whitworth Student Budgeting
Evan Galle
BIO: My name is Evan Galle and I am from Kirkland, Washington. I came to Whitworth initially drawn to the baseball team where I played 3rd base in my first two years. In addition to baseball, I have been involved with the Whitworth Student Investment Group (WSIG) over the past 4 years. Since retiring from baseball, I have taken greater responsibilities in the group taking on the sector head roles for both the energy and industrial sectors. As a part of WSIG, I had the privilege to compete for the CFA Research Challenge whereas a part of a team did financial analysis and modeling on a regional gold mining company. After graduation, I will be working at PACCAR Parts in general accounting for another internship. After a couple years post college, I plan on getting either my MBA or CFA to continue to develop my knowledge of business and further progress through my career.
MAJOR: Business Administration with a Concentration in Finance
Project Overview: Many college students arrive on campus without a clear picture of their semester-to-semester education actually costs or how to manage it. Watching Whitworth University peers navigate financial stress often without adequate tools or guidance, inspired me to complete this project. A personalized budgeting spreadsheet built exclusively for Whitworth students
The central question driving this project was: how can a practical, student-financial tool be designed to make budgeting accessible, accurate, and actionable for Whitworth students specifically? I found that generic budgeting advice and one-size-fits-all templates fail to account for the unique situations Whitworth students face. Students are having to juggle the various fees associated with attending, the different room and board types, and the realities of student jobs that help the budget, this project addresses the gap directly.
Using Microsoft Excel, the tool was built to incorporate real Whitworth cost data sourced from the university’s official schedule of charges, calculate estimated take-home pay based on each student’s individual tax situation, and present a clear semester-by-semester financial picture. What this work demonstrates is that a tool grounded in Whitworth-specific data is more useful than generic budgeting advice and financial planning reduced the stress students accumulate across their four years. The earlier a student plans for their finances, they are better positioned to make informed decisions about their housing, meal plans, employment, and most importantly, savings.
