Hello Woman To Woman Talk Magazine readers, it’s financial literacy month! We are delighted to introduce you to Desireé Emmanuel, Creator of Young and Brilliant. Desireé’s company promotes financial literacy amongst children.

Desireé Emmanuel is a trailblazing entrepreneur with a passion for bridging the racial economic wealth and education gap through empowering youth with core life skills such as critical thinking, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. As a first-generation college student with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a master’s degree in Business, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her work.

During her time in the management consultant space for top firms, Desireé noticed a foundational gap between black employees and white employees. She recognized that it was not a skillset issue, but rather a foundational issue of learning how to strategically break down problems. She realized that the school systems in urban communities did not teach critical thinking, problem-solving, and financial literacy. This inspired Desireé to launch Young and Brilliant, a company that provides the missing foundation for youth to start bridging the gap through providing a series of workbooks, puzzles, and workshops.

We tapped in with Desireé to learn more about why financial literacy is crucial to the mission at Young and Brilliant.

In what ways is financial literacy crucial to your mission at Young and Brilliant?

Desireé: At Young and Brilliant, we believe that financial literacy is a critical part of our mission to empower young people. Our programs are designed to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders to be financially savvy and responsible.

Through our workshops, mentorship, and real-life case studies, we teach young people the skills and tools they need to manage their finances and make smart financial decisions.

Desiree Emmanuel

By teaching financial literacy at a young age, we can break the cycle of poor financial decision-making and set the next generation upfor success.

What is the backstory behind Young and Brilliant?

Desireé: I realized that there is a communication gap between black employees and others in the corporate world. It was not a skillset issue but a foundational issue that stems from African American employees not being taught the same critical thinking frameworks as their counterparts, which greatly affects their corporate experience. This inspired me to create a foundation for our youth that focuses on teaching them the foundations of critical thinking, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy, to bridge the racial economic wealth gap and provide the missing foundation for our youth. We need to build strategizers!! With our workbooks and puzzles, we aim to set our kids up for success so they can break generational cycles and not repeat the same lessons that we have.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Desireé: Issa Rae. She paved her own lane, banked on herself, and is now pulling up the community to do the same while remaining true to herself by maintaining a level of private life.

What sets Young and Brilliant apart?

Desireé: What sets us apart is our ability to speak both the language of urban communities and the business world, bridging the communication gap that often exists between the two.

What else would you like our readers to know about you and the work that you do?

Desireé: I am a speaker who is passionate about sharing the importance of being able to set and achieve goals, applying critical thinking, and providing a framework for people to achieve any goal they put their mind to. I also speak about mental health, entrepreneurship, and womanhood.

What Financial literacy advice would you have for our readers at this time?

Desireé: Financial literacy is not just about how to save money or avoid debt, it’s about learning how to make smart financial decisions that can lead to long-term financial stability and security. By teaching children the value of money, how to budget and plan, and the basics of investing, we can set them up for a better future.

More on Desireé Emmanuel

Desireé’s dedication toward achieving her dreams are evident in her appearance on Season 4 of the TV show, Going From Broke, executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, where she shared the truth behind building a business from scratch as a black woman, the financial struggles behind the scenes and managing through he student loan debt crisis.

Desireé’s passion for creating safe spaces for people to express themselves inspired her to start the Open Mics at Black Dot Cultural Center. What started as one Thursday a month has grown into a weekly event where artists from all over the world come to perform and share their feelings through poetry, music, storytelling, and much more.

Follow online:

Instagram: @iamyoungandbrilliant

Website: https://www.youngandbrilliant.org/