NYC Educator Wins $200,000 Prize for School Financial

Aaliyah Duah, a 23-year-old from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, has won a $200,000 award for her work teaching financial literacy to students. Her organization, Financial Revolutionn, now reaches pupils at more than 30 schools across Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.

Duah started the initiative as a college sophomore during the pandemic, aiming to close what she saw as a critical information gap. She never encountered financial education in her own public schooling. "Everything in our communities teaches us to spend our money poorly and to chase after quick success/financial gains meanwhile wealth builds over time," Duah told Chalkbeat. She realized she needed to share this message broadly.

Her workshops use relatable examples like Roblox, sneakers, and iPhones to explain credit cards, interest, and retirement accounts. She is also preparing to release a coloring book for young children called My Financial ABC's.

Recognition from The David Prize

On Tuesday, Duah was named one of five winners of the David Prize. Launched in 2020 by the Walentas Family Foundation, the award gives $200,000 with no conditions to New York City changemakers. It is considered a local counterpart to the MacArthur 'genius' grants.

The prize money arrives as New York State implements new mandates for financial education. This year, students in grades 5 through 12 must learn about budgeting and money management. The requirement will expand to grades K-4 next year.

Program Structure in Schools

Duah's organization tailors its delivery to each school's needs and budget. Programs can range from a six-session workshop to a semester-long course. Every program concludes with a culminating activity.

"The purpose of the program is for the students to come in with any understanding of finances and leave with a transformational experience," Duah explained.

Vision for Systemic Change

Duah connects financial literacy directly to breaking cycles of generational poverty. She argues that early education allows young people to avoid years of poor financial decisions and open accounts that build future wealth. When they become parents, they can avoid passing on financial trauma.

Financial education helps build better communities and solve systemic issues, she said. If each individual becomes financially savvy the whole neighborhood becomes wealthy. That changes the quality of life for all people who live there.

She expressed cautious optimism about New York's new curriculum mandate. She hopes the Department of Education is intentional in its implementation to keep the subject engaging. Without care, she warned, it could become like a boring English class where students disengage from essential material.

Duah plans to use the prize money to develop an online program for families and to hire a team to expand into more schools. Student feedback drives her forward. Some have told her the financial literacy classes are the best they've ever had, or the only reason they come to school.