Desiree FayeFrom being a first-generation college student to a Strategy Consultant for one of the top Consulting firms, I found myself constantly relying on the foundation my parents instilled. Sprinkle a bit of grit and resilience that only comes from being a poduct of inner cities����, I had the perfect formula for my successful 10+ year career in the Insurance and Financial Services Consulting Industry. However, my intellectual curiosity, love for community, and innate problem-solving spiked after I read a United Negro College Fund article. This article presented 9 alarming facts about the education disparity in America. It went a little something like this: 1. Children of color are often located in schools with less qualified teachers and fewer resources 2. 61% of African-American students in the 2015 high school graduating class met none of the four ACT college readiness benchmarks (there is still a disparity today) 3. African-American students scored 26 points lower than peers on the National Assessment of Educational Progress 4th and 8th-grade examA foundational problem in my community! I thought about the long-term effects not having the proper educational foundation or framework has on a child's trajectory. It became clear that I needed to be an agent of change. My burning desire to bridge the education disparity magnified one night while meditating near the Nile River in Egypt. It was at that profound moment I saw a solution and birthed Young and Brilliant. Young and Brilliant partners with passionate parents and community change-makers in nurturing the minds of children in underserved communities. We provide quarterly workbooks, workshops, and online courses to teach financial literacy, critical thinking, and vocabulary-building skills. Our belief that it takes a village, allows us to connect with and understand the present-day challenges of parents and educators. This helps us foster solutions that best serve our children. Read More Read Less