"I’ve always been interested in money since I was a kid and managing my own money," the New Fairfield High School sophomore said Wednesday. "I think one day I’d like to have my own business."

Now, in a move that enables her to understand more about money management, Prager has won a place on a national advisory board that works to enhance teenage financial literacy.

The eight-member panel is run by the National Endowment for Financial Education, a private, non-profit foundation based in Greenwood Village, Colo.

The foundation, which runs a high school financial planning program, maintains a Web site called the NEFE Teen Resource Bureau.

"As a member of the board I’ll be making contributions to the Web site, trying to encourage other kids to be financially well off," Prager said.

Prager’s contribution last month was an article about the financial process and implications of teenagers buying their own cars.

"Kids don’t handle their money well," Prager said. "Everyone goes out and spends everything they make. It’s important they have a savings plan and start managing their money so they’ll be better off in the future."

Prager was the only student from the Northeast chosen for the board. The other seven members, two boys and five girls, were selected from Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Washington state and Utah.

The selection process involved writing an essay and a half-hour phone interview. After she was chosen, Prager went to Colorado to meet foundation administrators and other members of the board.

Prager, whose father, Arthur, works as a financial officer in a large national corporation, is expected to serve on the board for one school year.

"I think this is a good opportunity to increase my interest in financial issues," she said. "I figure it will also look good on my college application since I want to major in business."

Prager said her parents encouraged her to try for the board because they also thought it was a good opportunity to improve her financial knowledge.

"My mother says she always sees me as a business person," Prager said.

Prager was nominated for the board by her teacher, Kay Van Den Ameele, who runs a personal finance course for high school students in grades nine through 12.

"Rachel is a good, responsible student with financial acumen," said Van Den Ameele. "I singled her out as one of my best students, and Rachel followed up."

Van Den Ameele’s class, which is not mandatory, convenes four times a week with between 20 and 30 students.

"I think one of the most important aspects of high school education is financial education," Van Den Ameele said. "Students tend to spend for today and don’t save for tomorrow. They kind of avoid trying to understand how to handle their money. Our aim is to teach them the responsibilities and patterns of spending and saving."

Amanda Cherry, Prager’s mentor at the foundation, said Prager was chosen because she sounded excited about the project and wanted to help other teens.

"We were impressed by her enthusiasm and her well-rounded interest in sports, math and science as well as business," Cherry said.

The board’s Web site can be found at http://ntrbonline.org.