PAHEi X Fola Financial Collaborate to Provide an All-American University Experience in Cameroon, Africa.
Photo provided by Sheneya Wilson
She Wins Society is always excited to hear about amazing initiatives that come together as a result of collaboration. We were also inclined to share the PAHEi X FOLA Financial partnership with our readers to provide awareness. I, Dominique M. Williams, the Editor-In-Chief for She Wins Society connected with Sheneya Wilson of FOLA Financial and asked her a few questions to learn more about the 2022 Summer Bridge Program in Cameroon, Africa.
Q. Sheneya, please introduce yourself and include why you launched FOLA Financial?
I am Sheneya Wilson, aka the People's CPA, a Social Entrepreneur and Wealth Educator from the Bronx, New York. I am the Founder and CEO FOLA Financial LLC, a financial services and education firm whose vision is to achieve Empowerment through Education and Economic Enrichment. Growing up in areas where financial hardship propels social issues, yet where financial education was not taught, is the reason why I started FOLA Financial. My aspirations have always been to equip those who desire to achieve generational wealth with the knowledge, resources, and opportunities needed to make it happen. We achieve this through providing financial education and essential services to individuals and small businesses which include business filings, consultations, accounting, tax planning, and tax preparation.
Q. She Wins Society's mantra is "When women support women, we all win." Can you explain how the partnership between FOLA Financial and PAHEi Summer Bridge Program came together?
I love the She Wins Society mantra! This partnership was actually made possible through a mutual friend of ours who is an amazingly talented, beautiful, and passionate woman in the financial education space, Sharon Epperson of CNBC. She connected me with the President of the organization, Victor Petenkemani, due to her knowledge of my passion to spread financial literacy globally. I really do appreciate when people speak on your vision in time of opportunity because they believe in you. Once I connected with Victor, he immediately knew why she connected us together and saw how this collaboration was a moment of divine alignment for the both of us, and then we got to work!
Photo provided by Sheneya Wilson
Q. What school supplies and other vital resources will FOLA and PAHEi summer bridge program provide?
The one-week immersive bridge program engaged students on foundational concepts, S.T.E.M related topics, and their applications in making business decisions, including the development of a sustainable purposeful and profitable business plan. FOLA Financial sponsored the business plan development curriculum, and the “Business P.I.T.C.H'' competition. The students were provided with laptops, tech kits, and other resources as needed to aid them in completing the program. After completion of the course, students gained exposure to an American university experience and learned basic soft and technical skills for a career as a data professional and entrepreneur. After they successfully completed the PAHEi Summer Bridge Program, students were awarded a certificate of completion certified by Mercy College.
Photo provided by Sheneya Wilson
Q. Currently the Summer Bridge Program is 1 week; do you plan to extend for a longer summer cohort in the future?
The PAHEi organization aspires to have this course be extended and allow for the potential of real college credits to be earned from American institutions such as Mercy College. The program was very intensive and I know that more time would allow for the students to really develop the key principles introduced and discussed during the 1 week program. Many of the concepts taught were not known to the students prior to them attending the program, yet they were able to demonstrate such a great understanding of these concepts during the “Business P.I.T.C.H'' competition. It was very astonishing and inspiring to witness how determined they were.
Q. What is necessary for you to exponentially grow the available spots for the Summer Bridge Program?
Awareness. We are looking forward to communities learning about what we are doing in Africa and taking action to share this initiative with potential students, educators, and other supporters who align with the mission and vision of PAHEi.
"The children are the future, and we empower and equip our children with knowledge. Knowledge is an invaluable resource which will propel them to succeed in their future endeavors." -Dominique M. Williams
Can you relate to this quote?
I truly love and support this quote. This message is engraved in the mission and vision of FOLA Financial.
Q. Currently the summer bridge program targets 11th and 12th graders have you thought about allowing 9th and 10th graders to partake?
Yes, PAHEi does plan to expand the reach of students invited to attend the Summer Bridge Program.
Q. What age would you say parents should begin introducing their children to financial literacy, and what are some helpful resources that will facilitate that process?
I believe that financial literacy should be introduced as early as when kids begin to learn a language, which is what financial literacy is. Understanding and speaking about financial literacy should be normalized in social conversations as typically it is a topic that most people feel uncomfortable discussing, especially when they need assistance.
Photo provided by Sheneya Wilson
Q. What was the aha moment that sparked your desire to empower others through education and economic enrichment?
Seeing those who were able to be impacted by FOLA’s education and/or services thrive economically while continuing to demonstrate great confidence when making financial decisions for themselves and their families is my daily aha moment. Many of our members go from not being fully aware about what is going on in their financial life, to being able to read and interpret what their financial statements and tax returns are saying about their financial well-being. It's an assurance to us that the formula works and powers our Why to keep going.
Q. How does empowerment through education and economic enrichment influence generational wealth?
Once you teach a person to fish, they should never go hungry. Knowledge is one of the most valuable free resources that you can give to someone, and it is a gift that keeps on giving. Empowering communities to become more financially literate and able to share knowledge and resources can create economically advantaged communities for many generations to come.
Q. How important is collaboration over competition specifically in the financial and educational forum?
I believe collaboration is the key to all success. It is especially needed in the financial and educational spaces as people learn more comfortably when they can relate more to the person teaching them. We could potentially hurt our community at large if we act with a competitive mindset and not being collaborative as the world needs us all for our own special reasons.
Q. How will the summer bridge program empower students to reach their full potential?
What I was saying was perhaps more important than the S.T.E.M and business skills developed during the Summer Bridge Program, is that the students learned how education and collaborative efforts have the potential to change the future of their lives, their community, and ultimately the world. The program inspired the students to dream big and think about how they can use their purpose to drive the profits needed for them to fund projects related to addressing social issues near and dear to their personal Whys, similar to what I am doing a FOLA. Sharing my journey of building FOLA was also confirmation to them that it is possible to achieve, without funding, without immediate support, and without knowing everything in the beginning. I reassured them that as with anything in life, you will learn as you grow, and that everything is possible if you can see it.
Photo provided by Sheneya Wilson
FOLA FINANCIAL
FOLA Financial is committed to providing excellent accounting and financial services to their clients and community. They are expertized in tax planning and preparation, accounting and financial analysis, business advising, and financial education. To learn more about FOLA check out their website: https://folafinancial.com/ and follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/folafinancial
PAHEiThe Pan-African Higher Education Initiative (PAHEi) is a nonprofit organization that supports programs in the areas of education, human empowerment, and leadership development on the African continent. To learn more about PAHEi check out http://pahei.org/ and follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pahei_foundation/
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Email: info@pahei.org
Tel: +1 212-287-9555
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