CRYSTAL’S CHAMPIONS
Mindful Hustle In A World of Financial Insecurity Anika Jackson
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Student loan debt is a topic that goes in and out of politics and is often thought of solely under a financial lens. In 2019, it reached a record high of $1.41 trillion with 54% of students taking on some type of debt. What one may not realize is that student loan debt is not only a financial issue but one that is linked to mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. As with many innovations, a first-hand solution was conceived in the form of three women physicians who met in medical school. Shared Harvest Fund aims to eradicate the student loan crisis through a radical notion – volunteer your services and reduce your student debt. The financial tech platform offers non-profits a lower-cost solution to professional services (think operations, marketing, graphic design, etc.) and offers the volunteer professional a stipend that directly pays off student debt. Explaining why the issue is important to them, co-founder Nana Afoh Manin states, “I was 22 when I lost my mom
to cervical cancer on my wedding day. I was inspired to pursue medicine to find a cure.” Afoh Manin continues, “I wound up being on the public health team that educated the community on the HPV vaccine as we know it today. Having no family support after my mom died, that journey cost me $250K in student debt. That debt burden affected my mental health and physical well-being. I delivered my son prematurely due to the stress in 2016.” Afoh Manin further explains, “My co-founder lost her husband to suicide after his mental health and financial battles following law school. When we realized just how many people were suffering in silence, as well as the growing student debt burden for so many women and families, we knew we had to act with intention. Our country was moving in the wrong direction, and we wanted to spread prosperity through purpose and compassion.”
