As a finance major and agribusiness minor attending Tuskegee University, I have grown to become passionate about the role financial literacy plays in creating opportunities and growth within business operations. My career goal is to work in corporate finance, specifically in financial planning and analysis, with a focus on the agriculture sector. I aspire to help farmers and agribusinesses make informed, strategic financial decisions that will not only sustain their businesses but also contribute to the overall economic health of the agricultural industry. Financial management skills is something I believe my local community should be taught as well. I am from the South Suburbs of Chicago, specifically South Holland which is ranked in the 1st percentile for money management skills with an average of 5 late payments according to WalletHub. It only takes one person to come back to their community to educate which in return will foster a stronger workforce. My non-profit organization would help high school students learn financial management skills. Once these skills are implemented, the community as a whole will experience growth which will lead to the narrowing of the financial literacy gap. The inspiration for my organization came from first semester attending Tuskegee University and through taking many classes like Economics, Accounting and Business, I realized that there is a gap between my professors and my community. One of my professors was adamant about the fact that you should save at least 20% of your income. I had never heard this concept and it led me to ask my loved ones if they do the same and all of them said no. I realized that this needs to change within my local community. In many schools across America, students are not taught about personal finance. Skills like the process of buying a house, learning how to pay bills and learning about credit scores are overlooked in traditional education. All of these lessons should start when students reach high school, especially because student loans are a big reason why people are in debt today. My organization would go to different high schools and give lessons on financial management skills. This wouldn’t just be a one-day crash course. My goal would be to work with students for 6-8 weeks at a time teaching them skills and helping them implement in their day-to-day life. A big part of my brand would be helping people save their money for the future. This includes investing in stocks and putting money in high yields savings accounts, life insurance or 401k to help their offspring. Soon I hope to get connections to school districts to make my classes all over the Chicagoland area. In return, I would hope to see a city that spends its money carefully and also saves and invests its money as well. People are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. I want my business to help people avoid being destroyed by insane amounts of debt and bills that could be avoided if they knew early on. In both my professional and philanthropic efforts, my goal is to use finance as an asset to drive economic progress in my community. Whether it’s helping farmers build sustainable businesses or empowering students with the skills they need to avoid debt and build wealth, I believe that financial education is the key to unlocking potential and creating lasting change.