For most of my Down-to-Earth Finance career, I’ve worked with people in their thirties and up. I always loved the idea of working with college students but never had the audience. I’ve been teaching at Barnard College Athena Center for Leadership for 8+ years but only in the last year or two have worked with college students. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to get involved with COLLEGE DIVA CFO. I’m loving it! CollegeDivaCFO is changing the paradigm. With the help of their visionary team, we aim to turn finance on its head and have women teach men their first lesson in money! Do you have a niece or nephew in college that needs a few lessons on managing finances? Share this with them.

Now wait a minute, don’t let the DIVA name fool you. Our name is disruptive, we get that. It stands for:

DIVA= Discover*Independence*Vitality*Ambition

What is a Diva? Some people believe the word has a negative connotation— like being a stuck-up brat, for example. But we think of a DIVA as a person who’s in control and knows how to own it! Someone who’s confident but not cocky, passionate but not psycho, and who’s not afraid to go after what she wants. To us, being a DIVA means Discovering Independence, Vitality, & Ambition.

D – Discover: Your twenties are a time to find yourself. You might literally be all over the place, but the key is to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. And yeah, you’ll encounter people along the way that make you question your faith in humanity, like that catty co-worker or your boss who puts Miranda from “The Devil Wears Prada” to shame— but that’s all a part of the ride. We’re just here to make that ride less bumpy. We’ll share our personal experiences about being financially savvy, working towards career goals, and just simply becoming your own person. It needs to happen eventually, so even if it seems kind-of dry right now, trust us— we’ll make it interesting.

I – Independence: As you go through college and the rest of your 20’s, you’ll have to learn to fend for yourself. No one is going to be holding your hand, and even your closest friends can only do so much. Everyone will be busy figuring out where the hell they’re headed, so you’ll need to be able to do things for yourself— besides laundry and heating up ramen. Financial management is key, and like we said before, it’s better to start sooner rather than later. Take charge— don’t let anyone decide things for you, especially things concerning your finances and career goals.

V – Vitality: Venturing out into the world is terrifying. Your whole life is ahead of you, and it can be overwhelming. Seriously, where do you even start? Like it or not, the business world is totally male-dominated, and as much as it sucks, we need to know we usually come second to guys in suits. The ability to be strong, active, and confident enough to hold your own in this kind of environment is something that we strive for. We’re also still trying to figure it out, so join us for the ride— we want to run with the big dogs… and maybe even trample a few on the way.

A – Ambition: You can’t sit around and expect someone else to handle your finances and tell you how to manage your life. You owe it to yourself to do something for your future. We get it— you’d rather just go to the bar and forget about that credit card bill and the fact that you have no idea what to wear for your interview. We’re right there with you. But if you don’t do it, who else will? As scary as it seems now, having the determination to take care of your finances and go after what you want will pay off eventually— we promise. Even if your future plans don’t include someday becoming the CEO of a huge company, your finances and career goals will always be important. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to get old and boring just yet— your twenties should be filled with adventure, thrills, and a couple of I-can’t-believe-I-did-that nights (hey, we’re not judging!). The idea of “living life without regrets” is unrealistic. If you have no regrets, then you didn’t go hard enough, so you might as well make them dinner-table-worthy… I mean, who wants to hear about your credit card debt? – See more at: http://www.divacfo.com/aboutadiva/#sthash.6nBShrJ5.dpuf

Our Mission:
At CollegeDivaCFO our mission is to educate and empower young women (and yes, guys too!) with relevant financial knowledge through an innovative peer-to-peer platform.  Their goal is to make financial literacy relevant and fun to college students.  Let’s start with the economic independence early on AND make it fun so it become part of their everyday lives.

Want to get involved?  Know a college student?  We are looking for interns!  Stay tuned – much more to come!
 
Just promise us you will remember who taught you your first lessons about money!
- See more at: http://downtoearthfinance.com/2013/11/college-diva-cfo/#sthash.Xo6heDKK.dpuf

Photo: David Castillo Dominici
Published: January 27, 2014