CRYSTAL’S CHAMPIONS Mindful Hustle In A World of Financial Insecurity Anika Jackson

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.”

While the Shared Harvest Fund focuses on helping non-profits, it also offers corporate human resource departments an HR benefit for their employees, and it hopes to create workforce development opportunities in the near future.

Nana may be a pioneering tech founder as well as a physician today, but her story serves as one of inspiration for us all. She reflects, “My first coveted job was as a water fetcher at the age of four, carrying buckets of water to my great grandmother to cook with. I had to learn to be careful and efficient or the task would take all day. Out of necessity, I learned to carry water jugs on my head. Being the daughter of an immigrant mom and running a lean side-hustle became part of the territory. Whether it was braiding hair or selling donuts, my grit and creativity have always been my lucky charm.” Manin concludes. “My humble upbringing nurtured cognitive empathy to understand the plight of others, while being solution-driven to help them actualize their self-worth.”

Ms. Afoh Manin continues, “I am a first-generation college graduate, but I come from a legacy of entrepreneurs. I’ve gone from being the assistant to the savviest Ghanaian market women to an Emergency Doctor and Global Public Health practitioner. I’ve now founded my own technology platform for social justice that’s disrupting how we finance higher education.”

“We exist to show that talents and lived experiences are valuable currencies in today’s global market,” Afoh

Shared Harvest Foundation focuses on mental health and financial literacy, and includes Los Angeles-area seminars, workshops, educational happy hours, and the Sounds of Goodness Concert Series, which honors community and celebrity ambassadors who are creating global awareness around these two issues. Please go to www.sharedharvestfund.org for more information on how to be involved with this worthwhile endeavor.

Crystal’s Champions is dedicated to strong and inspirational women and organizations that are making a difference in the community. To nominate a Champion, email Crystal at Crystalsavesthedeal@gmail.com