New York City has long been the financial capital of the world. Yet hundreds of thousands of students growing up here receive little to no education about how money actually works. Aaliyah Duah saw that disconnect firsthand. Growing up in Bed-Stuy, just a 30-minute train ride from Wall Street, she realized her community was being taught how to consume, but not how to build businesses or create generational wealth.

Determined to change that, Aaliyah started college at just 16 years old. As she immersed herself in learning about personal finance, she saw an opportunity to bring that knowledge back to her New York community that needed it most. In 2021, while still a sophomore at Virginia State University, she began breaking down financial concepts into practical, accessible lessons on Instagram. And she wasn’t just teaching entrepreneurship. She was living it.

While still in undergrad, Aaliyah founded Financial Revolutionn, becoming a New York City Department of Education contractor to bring financial literacy to middle and high school students across the boroughs. Her goal is simple: equip young people with foundational financial life skills early enough for the benefits to compound over a lifetime. But Aaliyah isn’t a typical financial educator. She meets students where they already are: teaching stocks through Roblox, investing through Jordan sneakers, and budgeting through bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches.

The approach has resonated. Students are eager to engage with financial concepts because they’re being taught by someone who feels like she’s been in their shoes… because she has. And the work doesn’t stop when the school day ends. Through entrepreneurial pitch competitions and financial literacy card games like Rap Cards and Broke or Brilliant, Aaliyah is bringing these conversations into students’ homes, where financial habits often take root. The demand has become so clear that principals have begun requesting workshops not just for students, but for teachers and parents as well.

Now working in more than 30 New York City public schools and leading a growing team that reflects her relatable, community-first approach, Aaliyah is ready to bring her curriculum to more students and families to help them build their paths toward financial freedom.