In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to spotlight women making a difference. Ultimately, we decided to ask Seeds of Fortune founder, Nitiya Walker, for an exclusive interview. She shared what inspired her to dedicate her life to changing the world…
Walker began her scholarship program, Seeds of Fortune, during her senior year of college.
Seeds of Fortune was developed to aid women of color to prepare for college, apply for scholarships, and learn financial literacy.
So, we asked the education advocate who some of her biggest mentors were…
Inspired by Other Women Making History
We were surprised to find out — although we shouldn’t have been — that Nitiya Walker was mentored by trailblazing women.
As a young girl, the Seeds of Fortune creator was involved in the youth group, “the Archonettes.”
The group was run by the African American sorority, Zeta Phi Beta. The sorority sisters guided high school girls in volunteering efforts, new experiences, and personal growth.
In our interview, Walker attributes participation in this group as the seed for her philanthropic spirit.
Also, her first job was working for Diane Bailey who owned one of the first natural hair salons in the United States, Tendrils.
At that time, Nitiya was able to see a strong representation of a Black woman being successful — as well as learning entrepreneurial skills.
TALK ABOUT FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF WOMEN MAKING HISTORY!
Additionally, Nitiya Walker spoke highly of Girl Scout Leader, Phyllis D. Pearson. In fact, that influential leader taught her how to earn scholarships for higher education.
It is obvious to see the impact of that.
Subsequently, these answers made us want to do our part as well towards her cause, so we asked…
HOW CAN WE BETTER PREPARE YOUNG LADIES TO CREATE THEIR OWN WEALTH?
Empowering Women to “Shift the Future of their Communities”
Nitiya Walker is well-educated in imparting financial education to young women of color.
After all it is her life’s passion.
“ACCESS TO FINANCIAL CAPITAL INCLUDING GRANTS, INVESTMENT TOOLS, AND OTHER MEANS OF BUILDING WEALTH CAPACITY ARE ESSENTIAL FOR YEARS OF DIVESTMENT IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. ACCESS TO AN ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IS ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL SKILL SETS AND FINANCIAL CAPITAL.” — NITIYA WALKER, DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER OF SEEDS OF FORTUNE.
At length, Nitiya proposed the following to aid these girls in achieving financial freedom:
- Equal educational and career opportunities
- Access to financial resources
- Ability to create income through higher education
With these ideas in mind, we turned our attention to the future generations of women making history…
And, Walker had a message for them.
Nitiya’s Message to 10X Kids
“Your community is rich in culture and opportunity. Your ideas can be the solution that your neighborhood, city, and state have been waiting for in order to create the necessary change. You have the ability through your life experiences to ignite your peers, neighbors, teachers, parents and advocate for a shift in the future of your community. It is important to acknowledge and review the problems in your community. But it’s more essential to get involved and see how you can create solutions through your ideas and potential supporters.”
All in all, Nitiya Walker is one of this generation’s great successes who’s making a difference. Better yet, she is doing it by uplifting other women so they can start making history for themselves.
Let’s all follow her example and shift the future.
— GCTV Staff
Disclaimer: The Grant Cardone Foundation is a Section 501(c) (3) charitable organization, EIN 82-3244679. The amount of a contribution that is deductible for federal income tax purposes is limited to the amount contributed, reduced by the value of any goods or services provided by the organization. For more information and complete disclosures, please visit https://grantcardonefoundation.com
