About Us
In our middle school years, we were not given the opportunity to explore the business world. As young kids, we felt confined to participate in activities hosted by our schools' such as the science fair, and workshops leading up to the fair. We felt out of place as we were not given the opportunity to explore other academic possibilities .
Meet Kirthi
Hi! My name is Kirthi Manivannan and I’m a senior at Century High School in Rochester, MN.
When I was in middle school, my father told me a story to show me how small actions have big consequences.
At the time, a friend of his had just experienced a death in the family who was living paycheck to paycheck. This took a toll on the family's bank account and they still decided to spend an enormous amount of their salary on Christmas decorations and gifts.
Alongside this, they continued to eat outside regularly because this was how they normally lived. All in all, the expenses added up fast without the family paying attention to these small details. This ultimately led to them not being able to pay rent the next month.
I felt confused and shocked at the fact that this family didn’t know that they had to make cuts in their living to pay for their expenses. I wondered why they didn’t break down monthly and yearly costs in-order to stay financially stable.
Today, 70% of Americans in the US live paycheck to paycheck. In order to stop this cycle, educating people about maintaining a positive money mindset would allow them to live happily with what they have, and live their ideal life.
On top of this, one-fourth of the Adults in America skipped necessary medical care in 2018 because they were unable to afford the cost due to poor money management.
Therefore, I want to encourage this younger generation to live with a healthy money mindset to overcome financial challenges and to live with abundance and prosperity.
Meet Sarah
Hi! My name is Sarah Kathuria and I am currently a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School located in Parkland, Florida.
Once upon a time it was freshman year and like any other new high schooler, I was confused on what to do with my time after school. Scrolling through the club directory, I stumbled upon an activity where students like myself would go to the local elementary school and read to children struggling in language arts. I was instantly hooked.
From then on, every Tuesday afternoon I would make the short trek to the elementary school across the street, excited to work with the second-grader I had been paired up with for the duration of the program. Every week we would read a new book together, complete a hand-on activity, then review some flashcards.
As the year progressed, my buddy flourished. It amazed me to see how children at that age could grasp the knowledge given to them with ease, but how limited that information was.
Given the extensive capacity they had to learn at their tender age, their resources were limited to books and supplements about the core subjects, when they really should have been given the freedom to explore and learn all that they could.
It made me think back to my own experience as an elementary schooler and what I felt was missing from my early education. I recall my teachers being so focused on having us memorize our 18’s multiplication tables, that when I went to the store with my mom I was left clueless as to why they were charging us more than what the items added up to, or even why one brand of chips was cheaper than the other. At the time I felt these things didn’t pertain to me, so I left them alone.
I remember this cluelessness coming to bite me in the back when for the first time ever, the sixth graders were allowed to go to the school's annual book fair. I had picked all that I could buy with my $20 limit, generously given to me by my mom. Arms stacked with little knick-knacks and toys, I confidently walked to the register knowing I had exactly enough money to buy everything I was holding.
Now imagine my shock when the lady tells me I have to put something back because I've gone over my limit. I almost cried. It was with a sympathetic smile that the lady told me I hadn't accounted for tax in my calculations.
Later that night I went up to my mom and told her all about my heartbreaking experience. It was with a laugh that she sat me down and taught me all about this so-called “tax”.
After the mortification of that experience, I pushed myself to learn all that I could about money related things and everything I could do to prevent that event from happening ever again.
Recalling that ordeal, I was inspired to take action. I realized I wanted to provide an easy, engaging yet effective way for young children to learn about the basics of the economy, business, and overall ways of money management.
