Sarah Asebedo is passionate about preparing students for an impactful and rewarding career
Personal Financial Planning (PFP) assistant professor, Sarah Asebedo, Ph.D., CFP®, has a rich academic and professional background in her field, holding a bachelor's degree in Family Studies with a Personal Financial Planning emphasis and a Business Administration minor, a master's degree in Family Studies and Human Services with a Personal Financial Planning Emphasis, and a Ph.D. in Personal Financial Planning – all from Kansas State University. She also holds a graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution and a Certified Financial Planner™ certification.
As a faculty member in the College of Human Sciences, she said she is most proud of the collaborative efforts in the college.
"I'm proud of the collaborative and interactive nature of the faculty, staff, and leadership in the College of Human Sciences," Asebedo said. "I've enjoyed collaborating with researchers and teachers from other departments to produce impactful research and student experiences."
In terms of her own research, Asebedo recently partnered with a team of authors from Texas Tech University and fellow institutions to explore best practices in virtual client financial planning meetings given the rise of the virtual environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, she is actively seeking grant funding to investigate the impact of positive psychological interventions for financial decision making, stress, and well-being.
When it comes to the classroom, Asebedo's passion is all about preparing students for an impactful and rewarding career in financial planning.
"I have experience as a financial planning professional and enjoy using this experience along with client examples in the classroom," Asebedo explained. "In particular, I enjoy bringing an evidence-based practical application approach to the learning environment with skills and strategies based on financial planning research. I use case studies and role play exercises on a regular basis that takes students' learning to a practical and much deeper level."
Currently, Asebedo is working with graduate students to investigate how Americans used their COVID-19 stimulus payments and how their psychological characteristics are connected to those decisions.
As an educator, Asebedo wants her students to walk away from her courses excited that their learning journey has just begun and to find joy within the challenges of continuous learning.
"Students take away a solid and rigorous foundation to begin their career and support their future work after completing my classes and our financial planning program; however, learning is a lifelong endeavor that continues to take shape with experience over time," Asebedo said. "I want students to find the joy along with the challenges of learning such that they embrace it not only now, but in the future."