Values & Effective Adults

Today’s college students face financial choices that may impact them for years into their future. Our mission is beyond financial assistance; we coach our students to help them achieve their full potential as effective adults. Effective adults are driven by making values-based decisions, are fiscally responsible and are our future change-makers and leaders.

Values

We believe that strong core values and education are pathways to become effective adults. At ZF, our core values are: integrity, personal responsibility, trust, self-awareness and determination. Each of these have a very specific definition yet apply to each person's situational circumstance differently. We come from different backgrounds, different cultures, we have different realities; together we make up the ZF community. Each person's experiences contributes to the richness of our community. We expect to learn from one another, to recognize these differences and to celebrate them. We are guided by our values in all that we do.

We believe our students are our customers and we constantly seek ways to improve their ZF experience and better serve them.  We reflect, learn and adjust as they teach us what they need and where ZF can improve. ZF's Student Advisory Group, made up of current students and alumni, play a crucial role in helping ZF meet the needs of future ZF students. 

Effective Adults

We believe effective adults possess core values, a commitment to learning, and live a life of financial responsibility. At ZF, we are all about the process of becoming an effective adult. We coach our students on how to apply their values to real life decisions. 
​Core Values
  • Develop and are driven by a set of personal values
  • Do not waiver from them even when challenged
  • Earn trust by demonstrating integrity through principle-based actions
  • Want to make the future better than the past
Financial Responsibility
  • Are working toward or are financially self-sufficient
  • Adopt lifestyles  consistent with financial means
Commitment to Learning 
  • Lead continuous lives of learning and self-development
  • Have a vision for their future – not predefined jobs but visions to pursue
  • Are passionately self-motivated to work hard in pursuit of their visions; reflect, learn and adjust as needed