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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Cassandra Lester.
🔹 Purpose of the Interview
The interview serves three main purposes:
1. Promote Access to Opportunity
- Highlight Grow Give Prosper, Lester’s nonprofit focused on financial literacy and economic mobility
- Publicize free Google Career Certificate scholarships for underserved communities
2. Educate on Financial Literacy
- Emphasize the importance of credit, income, and financial decision-making
- Break down real-world applications of financial literacy
3. Inspire Community Action
- Encourage individuals to take control of their financial future
- Demonstrate how grassroots leadership can drive community transformation
👉 Overall purpose:
Bridge the gap between financial literacy and economic opportunity—especially in underserved populations.
🔹 Key Themes & Takeaways 1. Financial Literacy Is About Understanding, Not Status
- Financial education is not tied to education level or profession.
- Even highly educated individuals lack financial literacy.
“Financial education doesn't matter who you are… it's a matter of accessibility.”
👉 Insight:
- The real issue is access and awareness, not intelligence.
2. “Grow, Give, Prosper” = Collective Economic Empowerment
- Lester’s nonprofit is rooted in a community-first philosophy:
- Grow together
- Give to each other
- Prosper collectively
“I want us to grow together so that we can give… and then prosper as a collective.” [
3. Google Partnership Creates Life-Changing Access
-
Free certifications in high-demand tech fields:
- Cybersecurity
- Data analytics
- Digital marketing & e-commerce
- IT support
- Project management
- UX design
-
Program details:
- Free (scholarship-based)
- 3–6 months
- No prior experience required
- Includes a job-ready portfolio
“You don’t have to have an Ivy League education… to make a livable wage.”
👉 Impact:
- Removes traditional barriers to high-income careers.
4. Access to Income Is the First Step to Financial Literacy
- You cannot effectively manage money if income is insufficient.
“You can't talk about managing finances if you really don't have anything coming in.”
👉 Insight:
- Earning potential = foundation of financial stability
5. Credit Matters—Ignore It at Your Own Risk
-
Credit affects:
- Loans
- Interest rates
- Employment opportunities
-
Practical strategies:
- Pay down debt consistently
- Don’t close old accounts
- Monitor credit regularly
“You better care about that credit score… that’s going to make
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My guess has been instrumental in providing resources that help
individuals make inform financial decisions, optimize their resources, and develop
healthy financial habits. Under her leadership, Grow Give Prosper has
partnered with initiatives like Grow with Google to offer certification
scholarships aiming to enhance career opportunities for underserved communities. Please
(00:25):
work with the Money Making Conversation Masterclass, Cassandra Lester.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
How you doing, Cassandra, I'm doing swell rashon. How are
you pretty good?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Now?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Let's get this. Give us the name of your Is
it a nonprofit?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It is a nonprofit, Grow Gives.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
How did you come up with that name?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
You know what? Actually, because that's what I want to
see my community do. I want us to grow together
so that we can give to each other and then
prosper as a collective. So that's how I came up
with that name.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
How long you long have you had the foundation?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I have been in the financial education since about twenty
seventeen and I started the nonprofit in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Okay, cool.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So when you said financial education, can you give us
a little of your background from a financial literacy standpoint
before we get into the infield.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Okay, sure. So it all started when I was a
human resource an office manager at a very prominent medical
facility here in the state of Georgia. And one thing
I noticed, from the people who had the PhDs to
the ones who had the GEDs, every time we sat
down and do that tax paperwork, it leveled the playing field.
(01:41):
So that's when I realized that financial education doesn't matter
who you are, what you look like. It's a matter
of accessibility.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
If you got halfway listening to the show, I want
you to stop and focus on the show because this
is the reason of one of the many reasons I
brought her on the S Show for this interview her
partnership with Grow with Google.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
That's the name of it. Grow with Google.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Now, Google is what we're about to concentrate on and
what they're doing with your foundation.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Talk to us about what is Grow with Google.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Grow with Google is a tremendous outreach initiative that Google
has delivered to community partners like myself, where we are
delivering career certifications, scholarships to any and everyone who wants it, specifically,
(02:39):
justice impacted, specifically economically impacted communities that may not have
access to that level of education due to financial restraints.
So Google is now saying that, hey, we want to
give you a chance to thrive to So we're going
to give you a chance to get a career certification
(03:02):
entry level into cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing, e commerce,
IT support, project management, or UX design, which is user design,
which is those apps and websites. So Google is now
leveling the playing field. They're saying, you don't have to
have an Ivy League education in order to make an
(03:25):
earnable a livable.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Wage, not just beyond livable wage. I'm just let everybody
know that. Just go through, just go to the internet.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Google indeed and Google salaries of all the job titles
that she listed, you'll see that these are game changing
opportunities that this foundation that Cassandra Lester created that is
partnered with Google. And I want to hang on this
for a minute because I don't want to blow past it,
because I want people to be able to reach out
to you.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Do you have a website that they can visit?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Certainly if they go to row with I'm sorry, grow
gifprosper dot org and scroll to the bottom, you're gonna
see the Google scholarship link, and the barrier to entry
is very low. We don't want to make it difficult.
If you have a commitment to yourself and if you
want to increase your earning potential, all you have to
(04:19):
do in the state of Georgia, no matter where you're located,
is go to this website, grow give prosper dot org,
scroll to the bottom Google Certifications, read the information. If
it's what you want for yourself, then enroll and Coursera
is going to send you the link and you can
start learning today.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Now, let's go over those job opportunities that are available
on your website.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Okay, so cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing, and e commerce
and this. I kind of want to just really touch
on them really quickly.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Slow it down because I want people to understand that,
you know, let me also say.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
This, you say the worst scholarship is their fee.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
No fee, There's no fee. The only fee is that
you have to commit to doing it because we have
to give data at the end of the program right, which,
by the way, was scheduled to end in December twenty
twenty five, and Google has extended it to December twenty
twenty six. So since These courses take three to six
months to complete. You have a chance to go in
(05:27):
and roll and get several certifications between now and December
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
This level is the plan field for anybody that these
scholarships that's being offered through your foundation through Google. You know,
I'm sure I have a college degree on my wall,
a math degree, and I always tell people you can't
repoll that degree, which means you can't take that. But
once it's on that wall, you can't take it back.
And it's not like a car, it's like a house.
(05:52):
Once you've been certified or degree, that's yours for life.
And it also gives you a sense of empowerment that
you can change your life and the surroundings around you.
So you're going to give us more detail on each
one of these job titles that we're doing with I'm
talking with Cassandra Lester. Give us your foundation one more
time and your website.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Okay, grow gift Prosper and the website is grow gifprosper
dot org. And I'm going to dive into what Google
certifications are currently available. We have cybersecurity. You know, if
you're the kind of person who wants to be the savior.
You want to be able to come in and you know,
throw it all of these I think we just heard
(06:33):
a couple of days ago about a cyber attack that happened,
you know. I think it was in the city of Atlanta.
So if you want to be the kind of person
who can recognize these attacks before they happen, cybersecurity is
a great feel for you to get into data analytics.
If you want to tell businesses what's trending, where they
can find the money. Data analytics is for you. Digital
(06:54):
marketing and e commerce. We're all over the website. We're
all out here shopping online. Digital marketing and e commerce.
That's going to tell you, you know previously where I said,
you're going to show the businesses where the money where
you are the one that's making the money. You are
putting your product or products for other people online and
making it avail and making it available for them to
(07:16):
purchase it. Support so you can stack it support with cybersecurity.
You are providing daily maintenance to laptops, phones, computers. It
support project management. Now, when I mentioned that you can
get several certifications, these are certifications that you can stack.
(07:37):
So can you imagine stacking project management with a data
analytics certification, and then finally UX design. So when I
say that, it may sound Greek to a lot of people,
but think about it. These apps, Instagram, all the websites
that you go to. UX design means user experience design.
(08:01):
You're designing the experience that the person who's on that
app is using. So I remember one time with my
banking app, I had an issue with getting my password.
Every time I would log out to get the password
and come back here and the app would close. Somebody
saw that and they fixed it. So that's what that
user experience design. Along that line, that's what you would
(08:24):
be learning.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You don't want to miss an episode of Money Making
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Speaker 2 (08:33):
It's free and you can find.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
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Speaker 2 (08:41):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more Money.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to Money Making Conversations master
Class with me Forshawn McDonald. First of all, thank you
for coming on Money Making Conversation master Class.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
How have you been this sounds.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Like a program or your pro seems to be locked
into Google and providing dream like opportunities for people who
can get these scholarships by going onto your website.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
How you promoting this or how you spreading the word?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Ah, mister Raushan, you know I'm country, mister Rashan, I
am boots on the ground. We are out here, grassroots.
We are going to every community center that's local. We
are going to the adult education classes. I am on
social media pushing this information out. I mean any and
(09:35):
everybody that will hear me. I'm trying to shout it
from the rooftops to let them know you don't want
to miss this. You don't want to miss this opportunity
to increase your earning potential. So I'm literally out here
getting in my car I call a Pearl, Me and Pearl,
driving up and down the highways, trying to get to
every adult education class that we can get to to
tell these folks you need to sign up.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Okay, fure we talk about the classes you're seeing.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
So if someone in New y someone in Chicago, someone
in Los Angeles, someone in Houston or Dallas, they can register.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
They can. You have to be continental US. Wow. And
you know, of course Google is gonna know if you're
logging in from outside the US, but Continental US. And
when I tell you, they were generous, Like I gave
myself a pat on the back because I wrote that letter.
Do you hear me? They gave me over three hundred scholarships.
So I'm ready to deliver it to the comte.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Okay, cool, listen, So you have three hundred scholarships available nationwide.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
All individuals can do that no charge.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Jesus scholarships three to six months were for online training
for an opportunity to change your life. Your life, and
you're doing the boots on the ground. Now you're on
Money Make Conversations masterclass. Now we're about to we're going
worldwide with you. Domestic US, Continental USA opportunities to register. Now,
(10:58):
let's talk about you, said Rashaw, You and Perl that's
the name of her vehicle going up and down the road.
When you go in these classes, what has been the
reaction or have you been disappointed in the reaction?
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Actually, I am being well received. The program is being
well received. The thing about it is that you are
changing I'm changing minds. People are thinking that I'll never
be able to get out of the situation. I'm robbing
Peter to pay Paul. And when they realized that you
have an opportunity, and what I wanted to do was
(11:32):
be credible. So I did some vetting on the back end,
and I asked people who are in hiring positions in it,
would you hire somebody with a GED and a Google certification.
A couple of people told me who graduated college with
a master's degree said they lost out on their first
(11:53):
job because they didn't have a certification to a person
who did. So it's valid. It's legitimate, and the people
that I meet, they are overjoyed. Some of them might
be a little skeptical at first, but once they realized
that it's legitimate. I initially had about five hundred scholarships,
so we've had so many people to enroll that now
(12:17):
that number has went down.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
To three hundred.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Come on, girds, give yourself around, employer, that's two hundred
potential people. You've changed lives. Now, now let's talk about
a little bit more about you. Because I wanted to
get that out at the top of the conversation, because
I wanted people to hear exactly the opportunity that your
foundation brings to the table and it is changing lives.
The importance of financial literacy. That's a financial literacy is
(12:43):
a huge buzzword in the community. What does financial literacy
mean to you?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Financial literacy means to me that you understand the words,
You hear the conversation and it's not Greek to you.
You have tools that you can use to manage your
expenses on a daily basis, that you understand how this
applies to you. I heard a song from one of
(13:11):
our famous young female rappers who says that she doesn't
give an f about a credit score. I'm sure she's
changed her mind since it, because she's realized. She's realized
that you better care about that credit score because that's
going to make the difference in your borrowing potential and
how much money you have to pay back. So financial
(13:32):
literacy means that we understand the conversation and we know
what it means and how it applies to our daily life.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
So what's a misconception.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Like you said, you have a rapper out there talking
to the generation of people telling them don't care about
the credit card. What you and I know that's a value.
That's a value proposition to have your credit sCOD anywhere
above seven hundred. You get in an eight hundred, you
in as they say, platinum, platinum zone there. Now, talk
to the audience a little bit about that credit score
(14:03):
and how they can if you are aware of ways
they can fix it, but why they should not ignore it.
You mentioned it a little bit about how it can
impact your loan, But it is a long ways to
employment opportunities too, because they check everything now, they do.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
And they're looking for reasons to disqualify certain people, you know,
and sometimes they will use that as leverage to disqualify
you know, the next person from getting the job. But
you know, my financial literacy encompasses all earning, you know, saving, borrowing, investing, protecting,
(14:38):
and so among all of those. Credit plays a very
big part because it's about your borrowing potential. And sometimes
the best time to get credit is when you don't
need it. But if you just want some really quick hacks,
if you're in debt, you know, and there is no
magic bullet, it's always to try and truth the snowball method,
(14:59):
you know, pay down your debt gradually over time, and
then extra credit increases on the cards that you have
don't close your oldest account. So there are so many
strategies that we can use to improve our credit. But
the thing about it is that you have to stay consistent.
You need to go to the annualcreditreport dot com, pull
your credit report, see where you stand, and then devise
(15:22):
a plan from there and move forward consistently. There is
no magic bullet, there's no overnight pill. Just like losing weight,
just like managing your health, you have to be consistent.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
I'm talking to Cassandra Lester.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Her foundation Go Grow Excuse me, Grow Give prosper as
partnered with initiatives like Grow with Google to offer certifications,
scholarships aim to enhance career opportunities for underserved communities. So
would you say that's your mission for your foundation?
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Absolutely, yes it is. That's my mission. And a lot
of people know me. They kind of because I'll go
off on a tangent. In a minute, you know, I'll
start talking about you know, protection, I'll start talking about
ways to increase your earning potential. I do workshops twice
a month, and when I go into these workshops, I'm
not just doing a lecture. I'm really connecting with my
(16:20):
audience and I want them to feel why I'm so
passionate behind it. So I'm not just sitting up there
reading a paper. I'm really talking to my audience. I'm
asking them questions, you know, and the green doesn't hurt,
but definitely I left and I left out of one
workshop and I was like, dang, I feel like I
was in the pool pit because I really engage with
(16:40):
my community partners when they invite me into these sessions.
I talk to these people like their life depends on it.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
You don't want to miss an episode of Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, So right now follow a subscribe to Money
Making Conversations. It's free and you can find it on
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Speaker 2 (17:03):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more Money.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Making Conversations Master Class. Welcome back to Money Making Conversations
Master Class with me for Shan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
So your passion comes from somewhere now, I'm pretty sure
you have.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Can you share with us the story because I gotta.
I want to pull back the curtain to find out
why did you start this foundation? You saying you're doing
it for the community, but was it a personal drive
that got you started.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yes, you know, not getting too much into it, but
I've had a situation where I'm at a very young age,
my identity was compromised before I was even able to
get out and get on my own. So aging out
into life, I had the odds stacked against me because
(17:55):
my credit had already been ruined. And then realizing that
I'm paying more for the same services as the next
person because through no fault of my own, my credit
got messed up. And then realizing, you know, I had
my children young, I took several non traditional routes to education,
but realizing that education is key to bettering your situation.
(18:19):
So just you know, in a nutshell, I've always been
able to land in positions where I could see both
sides of the coins. When I was working at this
major medical facility, I saw CNA's coming in who I
resonated with and just wanting to help, you know, housekeepers
and janitors just kind of help them to get that
mindset to you know, what you have options. And so yeah,
(18:42):
it all started from just my own personal experience and
managing my bills and you know, trying to do what
I can for my family and realizing that, you know,
it doesn't have to always be like this.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
So, Cassandra, you know, I've been frustrating in my life
because I try to bring individuals like you on my show.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
But I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You're cheerleader for change telling us some of the roadblocks
that you've had to hop over, go around, in fact
run over to have an interview like this on this show.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Wow. Some of the roadblocks just encountering people who minimize
the impact of obtaining financial literacy. And the very first
workshop I held, I asked them, why don't you want
to talk about this? And a couple of them, I
(19:35):
don't want you in my pocket. This is my business.
You know what you're talking about ain't gonna help me.
And then also just you know, the community as a whole,
certain demographics don't like to talk about money. They feel
like it's intrusive. And then also because I am a
small nonprofit, a lot of times I'm not taken seriously
(19:58):
by some of the bigger ones. I remember one time
I went to apply for a grant and I saw
one of my constituents apply for the same grant and
they got the grant, and they told me, oh, sorry,
we don't do that. And I was like, but I
just saying, you'll give her like ten thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Right right, right, right right right, So you.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Know, but despite it all, and I'm going to tell
you something. I quit every day and then I'll get
a phone calls like Ms. Cassandra, are you coming to
the Senate this weekend? Are you coming on Saturday? Okay,
I'll be back down there.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
So I know the frustration can lead that. That's why
I'm offering you. I'm very serious about that. You let
me know, and I'm gonna put into my calendar and
I'm gonna come down because you don't take me long
to preach, and it will not take me long to
be able to tell these people this side all these
My degree in mathematage. My minder was in sociology and
computer science, so I'm a computer Sudus science nerd.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I were in college.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I almost went and got my degree in mis management
information system. So I've always been a person that's aware
of data management and data security.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Now, with that being said, let's tell everybody.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Google didn't come to you with this idea. How did
this idea come about? Because I always tell people It's
about the effort you put out that can generate the
positive things you get back in return.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Tell us how this relationship started.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
The relationship started because I'm out here for my people.
You know, you have a person that understands how important
this is. And even though some people may not quite
get it yet, that's not going to stop me from
trying to get stuff that's going to be good for them.
So I actually was using Google for a different capacity,
and then I was on a webinar and they were
(21:48):
just talking about some of the other products that were offered,
and they you know, it's certain requirements that had to
be met, and they were like, if you want to
offer these scholarships to your community to help your community
increase their earning potential. And I'm going to repeat something
that I said earlier, Justice impacted communities, low income communities.
(22:10):
Google is intentionally looking to seek these communities to give
them an opportunity to level up if you will. So
once I heard that, I said, this is what we need.
You know, because you can't talk about managing finances if
you really don't have anything coming in. You know, it's possible,
(22:31):
but ultimately being able to earn a living is the
first pillar in financial literacy, increasing your earning potential. So
when I heard that that was an opportunity, I jumped
on it. I you know, like I was obsessed. I was.
I wrote three, four or five different you know pitches,
and finally I settled on one. I submitted it, and
(22:54):
it seemed like forever getting the word back. And then
when I got the word back, they were like, you're approved,
and you know this is what this is how it
goes and good luck. And I was like, wow, thank you.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
You know well, thank you, thank you for coming on
my show. Thank you for being honest about your journey
and the fact that you are giving five hundred scholarships
Google scholarships. Now you're down at three hundred. Our goal
is to get it down to zero. Our goal is
to make your organization to be one of the top
(23:27):
job finders, a career finders for Google.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
I want them.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I want Praise only comes through effort, Praise only comes
through relationships and mentoring. And that's what I want to
do and mentor you. That's why I want to give
you my time personally to try to get the word out.
But again, as we close the show, tell everybody about
your initiative that you grow with Google and the jobs
(23:53):
and how they can go and get these free scholarships
that are being offered three to six months depending on
the certification to floorish.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Yours all right? You know, community, come on out. If
you go to grow give prosper dot org scroll to
the bottom Google Scholarships just click on it. The barrier
to entry is low. The only thing we require from
you is a commitment and a desire to want to
do better and to see the program through to the end.
(24:25):
So grow Give prosper dot org click on the Google
Career Scholarships. They have scholarships in cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing,
and e commerce, IT support, project management, and UX design
and these scholarships are self paced online typically take three
(24:47):
to six months to complete. No experience is necessary. You
don't have to have any experience just to get started.
And one thing I didn't mention is that you will
get a portfolio. At the end of your certification. You
will have created a portfolio that you can market to
in demand businesses and you can go from having no
(25:10):
experience to have to have created a portfolio that's going
to make you viable in the market.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Just go to your website grow gear prosper dot org
and you can look for scroll down as you say,
google scholarships. Go through the options, find out the one
that fits you. If you want to find out the value,
the career value of these jobs, just google salary and
they'll show you how in three to six months you
(25:41):
can start competing.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
That's all you want. That's all you want.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
It's competing in an industry that you once thought was
impossible to crack a gig. Cassandra, thank you for coming
on Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Thank you mister Rashawn and bless your ministry.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Now. If you want to be a give so on
my show, Money Making Conversation Masterclass, please visit our website
Moneymakingconversation dot com and click to be a guest button.
If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, influencer,
a nonprofit, I want you on my show.
My guess has been instrumental in providing resources that help
individuals make inform financial decisions, optimize their resources, and develop
healthy financial habits. Under her leadership, Grow Give Prosper has
partnered with initiatives like Grow with Google to offer certification
scholarships aiming to enhance career opportunities for underserved communities. Please
(00:25):
work with the Money Making Conversation Masterclass, Cassandra Lester.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
How you doing, Cassandra, I'm doing swell rashon. How are
you pretty good?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Now?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Let's get this. Give us the name of your Is
it a nonprofit?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It is a nonprofit, Grow Gives.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
How did you come up with that name?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
You know what? Actually, because that's what I want to
see my community do. I want us to grow together
so that we can give to each other and then
prosper as a collective. So that's how I came up
with that name.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
How long you long have you had the foundation?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I have been in the financial education since about twenty
seventeen and I started the nonprofit in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Okay, cool.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So when you said financial education, can you give us
a little of your background from a financial literacy standpoint
before we get into the infield.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Okay, sure. So it all started when I was a
human resource an office manager at a very prominent medical
facility here in the state of Georgia. And one thing
I noticed, from the people who had the PhDs to
the ones who had the GEDs, every time we sat
down and do that tax paperwork, it leveled the playing field.
(01:41):
So that's when I realized that financial education doesn't matter
who you are, what you look like. It's a matter
of accessibility.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
If you got halfway listening to the show, I want
you to stop and focus on the show because this
is the reason of one of the many reasons I
brought her on the S Show for this interview her
partnership with Grow with Google.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
That's the name of it. Grow with Google.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Now, Google is what we're about to concentrate on and
what they're doing with your foundation.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Talk to us about what is Grow with Google.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Grow with Google is a tremendous outreach initiative that Google
has delivered to community partners like myself, where we are
delivering career certifications, scholarships to any and everyone who wants it, specifically,
(02:39):
justice impacted, specifically economically impacted communities that may not have
access to that level of education due to financial restraints.
So Google is now saying that, hey, we want to
give you a chance to thrive to So we're going
to give you a chance to get a career certification
(03:02):
entry level into cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing, e commerce,
IT support, project management, or UX design, which is user design,
which is those apps and websites. So Google is now
leveling the playing field. They're saying, you don't have to
have an Ivy League education in order to make an
(03:25):
earnable a livable.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Wage, not just beyond livable wage. I'm just let everybody
know that. Just go through, just go to the internet.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Google indeed and Google salaries of all the job titles
that she listed, you'll see that these are game changing
opportunities that this foundation that Cassandra Lester created that is
partnered with Google. And I want to hang on this
for a minute because I don't want to blow past it,
because I want people to be able to reach out
to you.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Do you have a website that they can visit?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Certainly if they go to row with I'm sorry, grow
gifprosper dot org and scroll to the bottom, you're gonna
see the Google scholarship link, and the barrier to entry
is very low. We don't want to make it difficult.
If you have a commitment to yourself and if you
want to increase your earning potential, all you have to
(04:19):
do in the state of Georgia, no matter where you're located,
is go to this website, grow give prosper dot org,
scroll to the bottom Google Certifications, read the information. If
it's what you want for yourself, then enroll and Coursera
is going to send you the link and you can
start learning today.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Now, let's go over those job opportunities that are available
on your website.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Okay, so cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing, and e commerce
and this. I kind of want to just really touch
on them really quickly.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Slow it down because I want people to understand that,
you know, let me also say.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
This, you say the worst scholarship is their fee.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
No fee, There's no fee. The only fee is that
you have to commit to doing it because we have
to give data at the end of the program right, which,
by the way, was scheduled to end in December twenty
twenty five, and Google has extended it to December twenty
twenty six. So since These courses take three to six
months to complete. You have a chance to go in
(05:27):
and roll and get several certifications between now and December
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
This level is the plan field for anybody that these
scholarships that's being offered through your foundation through Google. You know,
I'm sure I have a college degree on my wall,
a math degree, and I always tell people you can't
repoll that degree, which means you can't take that. But
once it's on that wall, you can't take it back.
And it's not like a car, it's like a house.
(05:52):
Once you've been certified or degree, that's yours for life.
And it also gives you a sense of empowerment that
you can change your life and the surroundings around you.
So you're going to give us more detail on each
one of these job titles that we're doing with I'm
talking with Cassandra Lester. Give us your foundation one more
time and your website.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Okay, grow gift Prosper and the website is grow gifprosper
dot org. And I'm going to dive into what Google
certifications are currently available. We have cybersecurity. You know, if
you're the kind of person who wants to be the savior.
You want to be able to come in and you know,
throw it all of these I think we just heard
(06:33):
a couple of days ago about a cyber attack that happened,
you know. I think it was in the city of Atlanta.
So if you want to be the kind of person
who can recognize these attacks before they happen, cybersecurity is
a great feel for you to get into data analytics.
If you want to tell businesses what's trending, where they
can find the money. Data analytics is for you. Digital
(06:54):
marketing and e commerce. We're all over the website. We're
all out here shopping online. Digital marketing and e commerce.
That's going to tell you, you know previously where I said,
you're going to show the businesses where the money where
you are the one that's making the money. You are
putting your product or products for other people online and
making it avail and making it available for them to
(07:16):
purchase it. Support so you can stack it support with cybersecurity.
You are providing daily maintenance to laptops, phones, computers. It
support project management. Now, when I mentioned that you can
get several certifications, these are certifications that you can stack.
(07:37):
So can you imagine stacking project management with a data
analytics certification, and then finally UX design. So when I
say that, it may sound Greek to a lot of people,
but think about it. These apps, Instagram, all the websites
that you go to. UX design means user experience design.
(08:01):
You're designing the experience that the person who's on that
app is using. So I remember one time with my
banking app, I had an issue with getting my password.
Every time I would log out to get the password
and come back here and the app would close. Somebody
saw that and they fixed it. So that's what that
user experience design. Along that line, that's what you would
(08:24):
be learning.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You don't want to miss an episode of Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, So right now, follow a subscribe to Money
Making Conversations.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
It's free and you can find.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
It on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more Money.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to Money Making Conversations master
Class with me Forshawn McDonald. First of all, thank you
for coming on Money Making Conversation master Class.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
How have you been this sounds.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Like a program or your pro seems to be locked
into Google and providing dream like opportunities for people who
can get these scholarships by going onto your website.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
How you promoting this or how you spreading the word?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Ah, mister Raushan, you know I'm country, mister Rashan, I
am boots on the ground. We are out here, grassroots.
We are going to every community center that's local. We
are going to the adult education classes. I am on
social media pushing this information out. I mean any and
(09:35):
everybody that will hear me. I'm trying to shout it
from the rooftops to let them know you don't want
to miss this. You don't want to miss this opportunity
to increase your earning potential. So I'm literally out here
getting in my car I call a Pearl, Me and Pearl,
driving up and down the highways, trying to get to
every adult education class that we can get to to
tell these folks you need to sign up.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Okay, fure we talk about the classes you're seeing.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
So if someone in New y someone in Chicago, someone
in Los Angeles, someone in Houston or Dallas, they can register.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
They can. You have to be continental US. Wow. And
you know, of course Google is gonna know if you're
logging in from outside the US, but Continental US. And
when I tell you, they were generous, Like I gave
myself a pat on the back because I wrote that letter.
Do you hear me? They gave me over three hundred scholarships.
So I'm ready to deliver it to the comte.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Okay, cool, listen, So you have three hundred scholarships available nationwide.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
All individuals can do that no charge.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Jesus scholarships three to six months were for online training
for an opportunity to change your life. Your life, and
you're doing the boots on the ground. Now you're on
Money Make Conversations masterclass. Now we're about to we're going
worldwide with you. Domestic US, Continental USA opportunities to register. Now,
(10:58):
let's talk about you, said Rashaw, You and Perl that's
the name of her vehicle going up and down the road.
When you go in these classes, what has been the
reaction or have you been disappointed in the reaction?
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Actually, I am being well received. The program is being
well received. The thing about it is that you are
changing I'm changing minds. People are thinking that I'll never
be able to get out of the situation. I'm robbing
Peter to pay Paul. And when they realized that you
have an opportunity, and what I wanted to do was
(11:32):
be credible. So I did some vetting on the back end,
and I asked people who are in hiring positions in it,
would you hire somebody with a GED and a Google certification.
A couple of people told me who graduated college with
a master's degree said they lost out on their first
(11:53):
job because they didn't have a certification to a person
who did. So it's valid. It's legitimate, and the people
that I meet, they are overjoyed. Some of them might
be a little skeptical at first, but once they realized
that it's legitimate. I initially had about five hundred scholarships,
so we've had so many people to enroll that now
(12:17):
that number has went down.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
To three hundred.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Come on, girds, give yourself around, employer, that's two hundred
potential people. You've changed lives. Now, now let's talk about
a little bit more about you. Because I wanted to
get that out at the top of the conversation, because
I wanted people to hear exactly the opportunity that your
foundation brings to the table and it is changing lives.
The importance of financial literacy. That's a financial literacy is
(12:43):
a huge buzzword in the community. What does financial literacy
mean to you?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Financial literacy means to me that you understand the words,
You hear the conversation and it's not Greek to you.
You have tools that you can use to manage your
expenses on a daily basis, that you understand how this
applies to you. I heard a song from one of
(13:11):
our famous young female rappers who says that she doesn't
give an f about a credit score. I'm sure she's
changed her mind since it, because she's realized. She's realized
that you better care about that credit score because that's
going to make the difference in your borrowing potential and
how much money you have to pay back. So financial
(13:32):
literacy means that we understand the conversation and we know
what it means and how it applies to our daily life.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
So what's a misconception.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Like you said, you have a rapper out there talking
to the generation of people telling them don't care about
the credit card. What you and I know that's a value.
That's a value proposition to have your credit sCOD anywhere
above seven hundred. You get in an eight hundred, you
in as they say, platinum, platinum zone there. Now, talk
to the audience a little bit about that credit score
(14:03):
and how they can if you are aware of ways
they can fix it, but why they should not ignore it.
You mentioned it a little bit about how it can
impact your loan, But it is a long ways to
employment opportunities too, because they check everything now, they do.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
And they're looking for reasons to disqualify certain people, you know,
and sometimes they will use that as leverage to disqualify
you know, the next person from getting the job. But
you know, my financial literacy encompasses all earning, you know, saving, borrowing, investing, protecting,
(14:38):
and so among all of those. Credit plays a very
big part because it's about your borrowing potential. And sometimes
the best time to get credit is when you don't
need it. But if you just want some really quick hacks,
if you're in debt, you know, and there is no
magic bullet, it's always to try and truth the snowball method,
(14:59):
you know, pay down your debt gradually over time, and
then extra credit increases on the cards that you have
don't close your oldest account. So there are so many
strategies that we can use to improve our credit. But
the thing about it is that you have to stay consistent.
You need to go to the annualcreditreport dot com, pull
your credit report, see where you stand, and then devise
(15:22):
a plan from there and move forward consistently. There is
no magic bullet, there's no overnight pill. Just like losing weight,
just like managing your health, you have to be consistent.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
I'm talking to Cassandra Lester.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Her foundation Go Grow Excuse me, Grow Give prosper as
partnered with initiatives like Grow with Google to offer certifications,
scholarships aim to enhance career opportunities for underserved communities. So
would you say that's your mission for your foundation?
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Absolutely, yes it is. That's my mission. And a lot
of people know me. They kind of because I'll go
off on a tangent. In a minute, you know, I'll
start talking about you know, protection, I'll start talking about
ways to increase your earning potential. I do workshops twice
a month, and when I go into these workshops, I'm
not just doing a lecture. I'm really connecting with my
(16:20):
audience and I want them to feel why I'm so
passionate behind it. So I'm not just sitting up there
reading a paper. I'm really talking to my audience. I'm
asking them questions, you know, and the green doesn't hurt,
but definitely I left and I left out of one
workshop and I was like, dang, I feel like I
was in the pool pit because I really engage with
(16:40):
my community partners when they invite me into these sessions.
I talk to these people like their life depends on it.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
You don't want to miss an episode of Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, So right now follow a subscribe to Money
Making Conversations. It's free and you can find it on
the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcast.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more Money.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Making Conversations Master Class. Welcome back to Money Making Conversations
Master Class with me for Shan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
So your passion comes from somewhere now, I'm pretty sure
you have.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Can you share with us the story because I gotta.
I want to pull back the curtain to find out
why did you start this foundation? You saying you're doing
it for the community, but was it a personal drive
that got you started.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yes, you know, not getting too much into it, but
I've had a situation where I'm at a very young age,
my identity was compromised before I was even able to
get out and get on my own. So aging out
into life, I had the odds stacked against me because
(17:55):
my credit had already been ruined. And then realizing that
I'm paying more for the same services as the next
person because through no fault of my own, my credit
got messed up. And then realizing, you know, I had
my children young, I took several non traditional routes to education,
but realizing that education is key to bettering your situation.
(18:19):
So just you know, in a nutshell, I've always been
able to land in positions where I could see both
sides of the coins. When I was working at this
major medical facility, I saw CNA's coming in who I
resonated with and just wanting to help, you know, housekeepers
and janitors just kind of help them to get that
mindset to you know, what you have options. And so yeah,
(18:42):
it all started from just my own personal experience and
managing my bills and you know, trying to do what
I can for my family and realizing that, you know,
it doesn't have to always be like this.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
So, Cassandra, you know, I've been frustrating in my life
because I try to bring individuals like you on my show.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
But I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You're cheerleader for change telling us some of the roadblocks
that you've had to hop over, go around, in fact
run over to have an interview like this on this show.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Wow. Some of the roadblocks just encountering people who minimize
the impact of obtaining financial literacy. And the very first
workshop I held, I asked them, why don't you want
to talk about this? And a couple of them, I
(19:35):
don't want you in my pocket. This is my business.
You know what you're talking about ain't gonna help me.
And then also just you know, the community as a whole,
certain demographics don't like to talk about money. They feel
like it's intrusive. And then also because I am a
small nonprofit, a lot of times I'm not taken seriously
(19:58):
by some of the bigger ones. I remember one time
I went to apply for a grant and I saw
one of my constituents apply for the same grant and
they got the grant, and they told me, oh, sorry,
we don't do that. And I was like, but I
just saying, you'll give her like ten thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Right right, right, right right right, So you.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Know, but despite it all, and I'm going to tell
you something. I quit every day and then I'll get
a phone calls like Ms. Cassandra, are you coming to
the Senate this weekend? Are you coming on Saturday? Okay,
I'll be back down there.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
So I know the frustration can lead that. That's why
I'm offering you. I'm very serious about that. You let
me know, and I'm gonna put into my calendar and
I'm gonna come down because you don't take me long
to preach, and it will not take me long to
be able to tell these people this side all these
My degree in mathematage. My minder was in sociology and
computer science, so I'm a computer Sudus science nerd.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I were in college.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I almost went and got my degree in mis management
information system. So I've always been a person that's aware
of data management and data security.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Now, with that being said, let's tell everybody.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Google didn't come to you with this idea. How did
this idea come about? Because I always tell people It's
about the effort you put out that can generate the
positive things you get back in return.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Tell us how this relationship started.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
The relationship started because I'm out here for my people.
You know, you have a person that understands how important
this is. And even though some people may not quite
get it yet, that's not going to stop me from
trying to get stuff that's going to be good for them.
So I actually was using Google for a different capacity,
and then I was on a webinar and they were
(21:48):
just talking about some of the other products that were offered,
and they you know, it's certain requirements that had to
be met, and they were like, if you want to
offer these scholarships to your community to help your community
increase their earning potential. And I'm going to repeat something
that I said earlier, Justice impacted communities, low income communities.
(22:10):
Google is intentionally looking to seek these communities to give
them an opportunity to level up if you will. So
once I heard that, I said, this is what we need.
You know, because you can't talk about managing finances if
you really don't have anything coming in. You know, it's possible,
(22:31):
but ultimately being able to earn a living is the
first pillar in financial literacy, increasing your earning potential. So
when I heard that that was an opportunity, I jumped
on it. I you know, like I was obsessed. I was.
I wrote three, four or five different you know pitches,
and finally I settled on one. I submitted it, and
(22:54):
it seemed like forever getting the word back. And then
when I got the word back, they were like, you're approved,
and you know this is what this is how it
goes and good luck. And I was like, wow, thank you.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
You know well, thank you, thank you for coming on
my show. Thank you for being honest about your journey
and the fact that you are giving five hundred scholarships
Google scholarships. Now you're down at three hundred. Our goal
is to get it down to zero. Our goal is
to make your organization to be one of the top
(23:27):
job finders, a career finders for Google.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
I want them.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I want Praise only comes through effort, Praise only comes
through relationships and mentoring. And that's what I want to
do and mentor you. That's why I want to give
you my time personally to try to get the word out.
But again, as we close the show, tell everybody about
your initiative that you grow with Google and the jobs
(23:53):
and how they can go and get these free scholarships
that are being offered three to six months depending on
the certification to floorish.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Yours all right? You know, community, come on out. If
you go to grow give prosper dot org scroll to
the bottom Google Scholarships just click on it. The barrier
to entry is low. The only thing we require from
you is a commitment and a desire to want to
do better and to see the program through to the end.
(24:25):
So grow Give prosper dot org click on the Google
Career Scholarships. They have scholarships in cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing,
and e commerce, IT support, project management, and UX design
and these scholarships are self paced online typically take three
(24:47):
to six months to complete. No experience is necessary. You
don't have to have any experience just to get started.
And one thing I didn't mention is that you will
get a portfolio. At the end of your certification. You
will have created a portfolio that you can market to
in demand businesses and you can go from having no
(25:10):
experience to have to have created a portfolio that's going
to make you viable in the market.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Just go to your website grow gear prosper dot org
and you can look for scroll down as you say,
google scholarships. Go through the options, find out the one
that fits you. If you want to find out the value,
the career value of these jobs, just google salary and
they'll show you how in three to six months you
(25:41):
can start competing.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
That's all you want. That's all you want.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
It's competing in an industry that you once thought was
impossible to crack a gig. Cassandra, thank you for coming
on Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Thank you mister Rashawn and bless your ministry.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Now. If you want to be a give so on
my show, Money Making Conversation Masterclass, please visit our website
Moneymakingconversation dot com and click to be a guest button.
If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, influencer,
a nonprofit, I want you on my show.
Host
Rushion McDonald
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