[Music] Let's just get this started um tell us About your roller Ally and what does That mean as far as your legal financial Literacy for the firm because Ally is a Financial company So you would think that you know Financial literacy is something that Most people already know but you can't Assume that so that's interesting that You're leading financial literacy for a Financial company so what's what's that Mean well absolutely not a great Question so this is before I jump into That this want to give you a little bit More background about Ally who we are What we do even though truly man I've Been watching you with the drops you're Getting better and better right so uh Just a little bit more about master work Yeah yeah every time I'm like man I Gotta watch out for this guy but um Other than you know being a leading Digital Financial Service Company we Understand how important Financial Education is to helping the next Generation of creators entrepreneurs and People who historically have been Undeserved underrepresented by financial Institutions so we have a long track Record of helping create Pathways and Opportunities for communities of color To promote economic mobility and drive Equity which is displayed through a lot
Of our programs like the locals in the Making program not sure if you all have Heard of a third of that but it's an Entrepreneurship program in partnership With the Thurgood Marshall Um college fund for publicly and Privately Um supported hbcus aimed at preparing And empower our young entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs Um to really go to the next level and Get a better understanding of Entrepreneurship you know careers and Other things like that and then also Partnership with Warner Warner media and DC Comics to create them also an Initiative for to elevate emerging black And diverse writers and artists in the Comic book industry and even our Collaboration with ewall the United Masters creating the next generation of Creators artists through the earn your Master activations across the country so That's who we are that's some of the Things that we're doing in the community From a financial education space but but To answer your question when we talk About financial education and what I'm Doing and what I'm so excited about is Really getting into the community to Your point as a financial institution You may think people are coming to us Already educated right so not only does The community need financial education
Our consumers need a financial education As well so I run a variety of programs That and talk to the talk to the people Ranging from you know early as Elementary age all the way to adulthood And I do that do a variety of programs That we've created over the years one um In particular recently that we just Launched about a year ago Um it's meantropolis so it's a world in A hit video game on Minecraft that Teaches users you know Financial Concepts ranging from credit and Budgeting all the way to taxes and Homeownership right so who thinks to the middle schoolers about taxes And home ownership but we believe that The earlier you start teaching these Financial Concepts the better off not Not only with those individuals be but Their families as well so we Incorporated those financial instances Into the game that maintenance has Already love love to play and it gives The opportunity for students to build Build blocks of future financial success Um Allied wise are happy to leave that Program as well it's been around for a Number of years but we're really focus On taking to the next level with serious Based learning so making sure that we're Building on the concepts or ranging from Banking Basics all the way to planning For retirement right and and our focus
When we think about what we're doing in The community for financial education is For for people that look like us it's Work for communities has been Underrepresented or under underserved Um so we really go in and make sure that We're providing this financial education And creating creative content programs And opportunities like we um just did This past summer with the boys and girls Club which I'm super I'm happy about it I'm a former Club kid so to be able to Go back and do a stock market challenge Where the Boys and Girls Club will Really teach the students how to Navigate the stock market through the Online simulator and Mentor them and Connect them with how I invest members To really talk to them about the capital Markets and how they can start to invest And really understand money management And at the end of that program and the Students were given an opportunity to You know create custodial invest or Savings accounts that they can really Start their financial Journey so we're Doing a ton in the space and I'm just Happy to to be one of the leaders that That's in this space teaching Financial Education Yeah that's a lot and it sounds very Similar to what we were starting in the Classrooms those are the type of the Topics and ideas that we were having for
Our young people and seeing what it Could do not only for them but their Families and obviously uh ongoing Community as well and so for you and I Heard you speak at our browser I can Hear the conditioning in your voice Right this isn't just a passion project This isn't just passion this feels like This is purpose purposeful work like you Have a purpose for what you're doing It's very rare that you can find that Purpose Driven work inside the workplace That you're actually at so talk about That that type of balance right because Most people are on the job but they it Really doesn't match the purpose of what They want to do with their life I feel Like you've matched both on here Ally How did that come about no absolutely You know I'm I'm blessed to be in that Position but you know it's really about Chasing passion and not money but for me It didn't already it didn't always start That way right to to be honest and Frank Starting my career I did I did Chase the Birth so growing up in the city of Detroit Um Joy Road to be exact Um my main goal was to to get out and Make money right so I've seen it both All people going out and and been Successful through a variety of ways but I chose to make sure that I did the Legal way right we know what the other
Way leads to right so when I think about What I wanted to do and what I wanted to Bring back to my community I know you All are from New York and and in East East Chicago Indiana you know so when I Thought about that I'm like hey I have To go out I have to do something to Bring them to my community so when I Left High School I really didn't have a Plan I'll be honest I knew I wanted to Go to college Um I didn't have a choice my parents are Going to make me go to college so I went To Michigan State and went to a summer Enrichment program and I I was listening To someone's speak and I never forget it I word for word a guy named Jamie Roberts he was talking about a colleague I had never heard about a county debitch Credits to your counseling of those Things but he said accounting is the Language of business and if you Understand the county and the numbers Behind the business you can understand Business as a whole so I went with it I Jumped into it and said hey I'm gonna I'm gonna start a degree in accounting Because at first I was going to go into General management they said you need to Specialize in something so here I am you Know four and a half five years later With my Master's in accounting from from Michigan State I started my career and Didn't work out so I was one of the
Largest accounting firms out there Because that was the play that was the Plan that was laid out they said hey if You go here you can make a lot of money You can make a lot of connections and And I went with it so all the while While I was working in big four Accounting I was an auditor right so Nobody likes the auditor when they come In so I was auditing for a number of Years putting in a lot of hours really Building my my business Acumen and and Building relationships but it was Something missing I didn't I didn't feel Fulfilled and I didn't feel like I had The time to continue to do some of the Things that I loved to do in them doing This community so I made it I made it I Made a switch I strategically came over To Ally it was it was a chess move to Come over to a company that was Committed to the things that I was Committed to which was growing the Community economic Mobility hoping Hoping others so when I came over to Ally I started in a financial reporting Role Um and then all the while I was still Working in the community Um with organizations that helped me When I was younger so I was mentoring I Was volunteering with organizations like The Boys and Girls Club Um the midnight golf program and I've
Always had a passion for Community work Because it was people in programs like That that meant toward me that changed My path drastically right so it wasn't a Lot of people growing up you know Growing up that looked like me that was Doing great things that was successful In the way that I looked at success and I was very very different Um You can think of success a lot of Different ways but when I thought about What success was there wasn't a lot of People that looked like me that was Doing things other than sports and Entertainment right so Um stay committed to the community and Uh while working my nine to five in Accounting I was I was making decent Money so I started actually investing Into real estate so I said all right I'm Not trying to work 30 years retired Lived that life so I started investing Into real estate for all the while Staying committed to the community and I Had a conversation with um Jack Howard Y'all know Jack yeah remember the show So Jack is my good sister Mentor right So I went to Jack's office here at Ally And I was talking to her really involved Hey how can I get ally more involved With some of these organizations that I Was sitting on the board of or maybe Mentoring and volunteering and she heard
The passion in my voice about hey I Really wanted to make an impact in the Community so not only did I that meeting Securing opportunities for volunteerism And financial support for the Organizations that I was doing so much For in the community Jack was looking to Expand her team so she said hey I see I See your passion I see you committed I'm Looking forward to expanding my team so We can do more in the community it's an Opportunity I think you should should Apply for and now I use my accounting Skills and my passion for giving back to Lead Financial education for one of the World's largest digital Banks it was it Was a journey that that started off a Little rough but eventually I found my Way to living and working in my passion [Music] I know they can't stand it
