Nationwide — Nitiya Walker, an African American girl from Brooklyn, New York, turned her personal faculty struggles right into a mission to assist different younger ladies. After going through the excessive prices of schooling, she now runs Seeds of Fortune, a nonprofit that assists teenagers in securing faculty scholarships and monetary literacy.
Walker at all times knew she wished to attend faculty. All through highschool, she labored exhausting to fulfill the educational necessities for a four-year college. However when she was accepted to Babson Faculty in Boston, she confronted a brand new problem — the $50,000 annual tuition.
Realizing her household couldn’t afford the prices, Walker sought recommendation from a mentor. She devoted herself to making use of for scholarships, sacrificing her senior yr social life. The exhausting work paid off. Walker obtained a $250,000 scholarship from The Posse Basis and extra assist from organizations like Alpha Kappa Alpha and Zeta Phi Beta.
Impressed by her personal journey, Walker launched Seeds of Fortune Inc. after commencement. In response to Woman’s Day, the nonprofit helps younger women from over 22,000 excessive faculties nationwide safe scholarships, achieve monetary data, and grasp faculty purposes. In its 10 years, the group has helped college students earn $65 million in scholarships.
Walker’s program additionally gives management coaching and connects college students to world assets. Lately, Seeds of Fortune celebrated its anniversary with a service journey to Ghana, increasing its attain to first-generation American college students and younger ladies world wide.
“Our objective is to assist in giving them the chance to be extra empowered with financial assets and to fund not solely their schooling but in addition their goals,” mentioned Walker.
