DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Interns in New York State Supreme Court, part of an empowerment program founded by the late Izetta Johnson, enjoy a special perk: financial planning workshops. The 2026 interns gathered July 16 in the Ceremonial Courtroom at 320 Jay St. for the first in the series of workshops.
Debra Sinodinos, manager of Community Engagement and Partnerships at MCU. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Debra Sinodinos, manager of Community Engagement and Partnerships for Municipal Credit Union, gave an hour-long presentation on why it’s never too early to think about your credit rating, what factors banks and independent credit rating organizations consider, and the pitfalls of overusing credit cards and defaults in paying debt. She also gave tips on budgeting needs versus wants, setting spending limits, building an emergency fund and retirement planning.
The workshop is part of a six-week internship program, which will continue through August and expose interns to a variety of professional opportunities in the court system.
Debra Sinodinos addressing the interns. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Approximately 40 interns from high schools and colleges were selected from various NYC Summer Youth Employment Program providers to work in various courthouses in Kings County. SYEP is the nation’s largest youth employment program, providing NYC residents aged 14 through 24 with paid summer work experiences, career exploration and job-readiness training.
Sinodinos told the Brooklyn Eagle that it’s imperative to learn financial literacy as soon as possible. “Nowadays, credit scores are extremely important,” she said.
“If you’re looking to work in finance, they’re going to look at your credit score. You want to rent an apartment? They’re going to look at your credit score. You drive a car and you need insurance? Same thing,” she said. “There’s a lot of reasons why it’s important to keep your score up and to learn and start adjusting early on.”
Hon. Deborah Dowling, left, offers a comment for the audience. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Sinodinos said budgeting is also important and often overlooked by young people. “It doesn’t matter if your paycheck is small, you still need to know how to budget what you have,” she said. “I teach this to older adults as well, and oftentimes they walk away and say, ‘Oh, I never knew that.’”
The earlier the better
Hon. Deborah Dowling, executive director of the Izetta Johnson Internship Empowerment Program/SYEP, said “Financial Planning for Future Success” ranks among her favorites of the internship’s workshops.
Hon. Deborah Dowling, left, and MCU Manager of Community Engagement and Partnerships Debra Sinodinos. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
“In terms of establishing an excellent credit rating and knowing a need from a want is important,” Dowling said. “Because if you make a mistake, you can certainly dig yourself in a hole as far as credit is concerned. You may find that for the rest of your adult life, you’re trying to climb out from under that kind of mistake that you made. The earlier you learn about these things, the better.”
Izetta Johnson, who created the SYEP in 1989, was an employee of the New York State Unified Court System for more than 30 years. Johnson died in 2016 at the age of 59.
The MCU is a New York–based financial institution serving New Yorkers for more than a century with personal banking, lending and community resources.