My Two Cents by Elliot

My Two Cents by Elliot - February 2020 Scholarship Essay

Interestingly enough, I have a nonprofit already in the works. In my junior year of high school, I became friends with my AP economics teacher, Mr. Harris, and formed a financial education club for my highschool. I realized that living in an affluent area, poverty was often overlooked and I wanted to combat this issue. To target this problem I made sure to reach out to students from financially challenged families to come and participate in the club. Mr. Harris and I started out by teaching financial basics- savings, developing a stream of income, finding a career path, investment vehicles, and many other units. These lessons were so successful that the club grew to about 15 members. I then decided to add some professional advice to the club by inviting financial experts to visit and share their personal experiences and knowledge with the club members. The club ended up hosting a financial planner, a certified public accountant, and an investment banker throughout the year.
I could see my dream of sharing financial knowledge really materializing, but I wanted more. I wanted to look beyond just helping my school and take part in aiding my broader community. This past summer, I founded the Loudoun Financial Education Initiative, LLC, with a vision of spreading financial literacy to the people around me. I started by filming a playlist YouTube videos on financial literacy topics. From there, I put together slide shows on financial basics and gave presentations at my local homeless shelter and county jail. Seeing people who genuinely wanted to improve their lives dedicating time to better themselves financially and open opportunities for themselves was truly inspiring.
The small scale success that I have had with my school club and community organization has been great. I am glad to have had any impact, no matter how small, on the lives of those around me. However, I believe I have in no way met my full potential. My dream is to study finance in college and, again, grow my ability to aid people in their goal of financial independence. With more funding, I could file for 501c3 status and grow my nonprofit to employ staff trained to help the financially underprivileged. It is hard for people who lack financial skills to make an impact on the world; they are forced to focus on themselves. By overcoming financial obstacles, otherwise isolated individuals can engage the world and contribute meaningfully, benefiting not only themselves but also entire societies. Spreading financial literacy is not just my duty; it is my passion.