announcer: How do I know which path is best for me?

Is it possible to take on these challenges and obstacles?

Where do I even start?

Where do I even start?

What should I do with my life?

Sometimes the only way to find out is to go see what's possible.

Since 2001, we've been sharing the stories of people who ventured out and explored different career paths and different possibilities for their futures.

This is one of those stories.

This is "Roadtrip Nation."

announcer: The world of finance is massive, but the narratives we hear about what working in finance looks like can seem one size fits all, but there are countless paths to pursue in this vibrant, challenging, and multifaceted world, and there are routes where you can make a positive impact too, which is why we're following three young people, Michal, Madeline, and Grace, who want to explore where their unique skills and interests in finance can take them.

Last time, we kicked things off in California.

Now these three are each striking out to hear the stories of inspiring leaders closer to home.

Portland is our next stop.

We're catching up with Madeline to hear why building strong community knowledge around finance and investing is so personal.

[Electronic dance music] [Acoustic guitar and violin music Madeline: My name is Madeline.

I'm currently 22 years old, and I'm from Portland, Oregon.

Because I'm the oldest daughter and coming from a low-income Mexican immigrant family, my parents were still figuring out their life here.

Like, they don't have any idea how taxes work, how budgeting and credit cards work, how to fill out school forms, and any kind of document at a young age, I was like their secretary.

It was hard because I'm figuring out things that a normal child wouldn't have to go through, like how to translate things at a doctor's appointment, explaining complicated subjects and things that I didn't understand but trying to make it so they understand.

From a young age I had a lot of responsibilities, and I think that made me into the person I am today.

I gravitate more towards leadership roles and just wanting to be in charge.

My moment of clarity of really pursuing financial literacy and education was when I was in the process of paying off my credit cards.

My cat had a medical emergency, and I was just like, you know what, whatever needs to be done.

Just like figuring out that situation got me into trying to find more resources and education about financial literacy.

My goal is to have like a financial literacy education company where I can have online courses: how to open a bank account, how to open a credit card, how to invest and bring in wealth and generate financial stability, so I've been working on like a basic financial literacy website.

I hope to have my own podcast one day, and have like my own audiobooks, and people can have the tools and resources that they need in order to be successful.

announcer: To see how far this idea of strengthening community access to capital and opportunity can go, Madeline is sitting down with Yesenia Gallardo Avila.

As an impact investor, she's considering financial returns and the company's positive impacts on real people and their futures.

Madeline: I want to know about your educational path.

Like, how did you get to impact investing, and how did you figure out that's what you wanted to do?

Yesenia: At no point in my life did I say, "I want to be in alternative investments."

I don't think I even knew what that was until kind of the latter part of my career, and I studied history, which is like, nobody makes any money in history, but it was like a very helpful foundation for critical thinking, for good writing, for investigation and research.

After college, I worked in an immigration law firm, and I think maybe in some ways like the thread is there of social justice or impact.

After working in an immigration law firm, I thought I would go on to do actually food policy, and that took me to graduate school, and actually built my very first business when I was in grad school, and I think that was like a really fundamental moment.

I've always been really entrepreneurial, and I love building organizations and companies, and I like that moment when people are ideating on a business, and that was like a really big juncture for me, like, thinking about myself as an entrepreneur and being like, "Oh, I could raise capital, and I could go build this thing."

It was such a eye-opening experience, and also a huge educational journey.

Building a company is hard to do, and ultimately it was not successful.

I built three businesses, and pretty much all of them have failed, and today it's like, meh, it's just like more reps under my belt.

You get better and better, you get smarter and sharper every time you do it, but that is actually what led me into the investment world, starting as an entrepreneur and wanting to build something and scale it.

Madeline: How has it been being a Latina in these spaces?

Yesenia: I mean, both like a mantle to carry that can be sometimes heavy, and also sometimes like a source of comfort.

Like, I love talking to young people like you when they're thinking about their journey, and just to see an example of like, we didn't come from a lot, and on the one hand, it's amazing to say you've like done this thing to like move these large amounts of capital which very few Latina women do.

It's also really tiring to constantly be exceptional.

My wish is that everyone would have these opportunities in a way that was like equally available and accessible.

You have to work hard for it, but everyone should still have that sense of like purpose and fulfillment, and not have to be faced with those constant challenges and pressures to achieve that.

So I wear a number of hats in the community, and one of the things I love most is to stay connected to my Latino community.

So I'm on the board of this organization called Latino Founders.

We're kind of a newer organization bringing together the Latinx community around entrepreneurship and startups.

This is our headquarters, and it used to be this really grassroots effort to just support founders.

I think it's hard when you're building something to find your community, and it can be like a very isolating experience to build a company, so it's a place to come just to find community and people that kind of get it, that you can just like let loose with, and at the end of the day everything is about community.

Madeline: One of my goals is to have like my own financial literacy education company, and that really got me into listening to a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, but because like the space is really dominated by like white men in finance, and like, already have wealth, I couldn't apply that to my own life, and I kind of got fed up, but you know, these white men can do it, why can't I do it?

Why can't I start doing my own research and help out my community?

Yesenia: Yeah, I love that, I think like the literacy part is so real.

I mean, the world runs on credit, and I think young people don't understand the power of credit and why so much wealth then gets generated by access to credit, and how we have to set certain conditions to be able to access it which are very gatekept.

It's very painful to watch our community leave so much money on the table because we're not investing it in the right money market account because we didn't pick the 401k.

In my current role, we backed a fund that is helping families, a lot of them immigrants, a lot of them Black families, where they're faced with these kinds of crazy mortgage rates, and then helping refinance them to bring them back to what is like a correct market because they didn't know what the real market should be.

They didn't maybe have the support to read the documents that they were signing, and so the wealth gets sucked out because we don't know how to really think about these because we haven't really been in spaces where we've had access to them.

Madeline: I just finished talking to Yesenia, and I feel really proud, really empowered.

I think it's really interesting to learn from Latinas in these spaces and have that representation.

I never thought it was a possibility to see myself in these spaces, and to know like, you know, she is doing it and other people are starting to do it, it just gives me more hope and reassurance that it's okay to break the barrier.

If you don't see your community out there, you need to be the community out there because people will follow.

[door knock] Both:Hi!

Madeline: Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Madeline!

What advice would you give me that you've taken from your own life?

Himalaya Rao-Potlapally: I definitely have had struggles, one, because I haven't made enough money to be able to cover your bills, and I think that's a struggle that many Americans face.

Just in the last 3-4 years is when I started to even be educated on ways that my colleagues and friends in finance have translated, you know, their money into being able to work for them, and still I wouldn't say that I'm at that level, but I'm learning little lessons and applying it to like an average everyday American kind of lifestyle, so I definitely had struggles.

I think that going into the finance world, it was really intimidating, and so I always felt like, okay, don't belong here, I shouldn't say much.

Even when I learn things, like, how can I say it in the most professional, polished way, and like make sure that I assimilate to the language of like the dominant culture in finance, but that's the problem with finance is that we only learn lessons from people who are wealthy, and we say, okay, well, you must be smart because you're wealthy, but that's actually not how it works.

I find actually that the people who are most capital-efficient are people who are poor because they have to be, right?

They know how to stretch a dollar out much further, and they know how to be creative, they know how to think about non-financial ways to be able to supplement the lack of income.

They know how to use community and family to be able to think about non-financial tangible resources, so actually when we think about finance, and we think about education and finance, we always look to people who are wealthy, but we all, regardless of what our current socioeconomic status is, have lessons that we can offer, and so my advice if I could impart any is don't wait until you are fully feeling like I'm well off and I'm okay, because you'll never feel that way in our current structure.

It's not designed for you to feel like you have enough.

I think that's what my advice would be, is don't let other people tell you that you're not smart enough or you're not well off enough or that you're not educated enough.

Madeline: I think that's really amazing to hear because I had like my own idea that like I had to be like financially well off, and like, had to check all these like boxes, but it's like, no, like, I can still learn and continue to develop myself without me having like everything completely solid.

announcer: The next stop on our route is Philadelphia, where Grace wants to explore the real estate arm of the finance world.

Grace: I'm Grace, I'm a senior real estate and finance major at Temple University.

I am originally from Delaware, but I'm now living in Philly.

I am a real estate agent, and I work for a company called Millstone Property Management.

My dad, when I was younger, he used to work for an energy company called Conectiv, and then after that, he moved back to Nigeria to work as the CEO of the power supply company.

After that, he came back here and he worked for Bucknell University as the director of sustainability, so just seeing the different kind of works that he's involved in where, one, it impacts the community and you can see the impact that it has in the community, but also it's done in a way that is good for the environment and good for the world at large, it's really inspiring, and influenced me.

While I knew I didn't wanna be an engineer, I kind of found like that love with the fact that you can take care of the communities that you invest in, but you can still, you know, create or develop a beautiful building, and so that kind of came together to me for my love for real estate, but then also the sustainability side of things.

Since coming to like college, I got involved with a lot of like professional organizations that are focused on helping you to build your career.

One thing that they spent a lot of time talking about is your behavior in professional spaces, but then also any public space because you never know who's gonna be there.

You know, you wanna carry yourself a certain way and look like someone who's disciplined or takes care of themselves or is professional.

I spent a lot of time trying to make sure that wherever I am, I'm the best version of myself, which may not always be the truest version of who you are, and if I can't be who I wanna be, then I don't wanna be in those spaces, but at the same time, I want to be taken seriously.

It's definitely a struggle that's in the corporate world or the professional world where you need to be a certain way, and I definitely think that there's value in it, but at the same time, there needs to be space for you, otherwise why are you there?

My interview that I'm gonna do solo is with a developer here in Philly.

announcer: Leslie Smallwood-Lewis is a co-founder of a commercial real estate development company that's investing in Philly's neighborhoods and building on its unique strengths.

Leslie I am the co-founder and COO of Mosaic Development Partners, and we've been at it since 2008 to really build a company that makes an impact in the real estate industry and changes the paradigm a bit.

My partner and I, we worked at a majority real estate development firm, and we wanted to focus on certain aspects of real estate that were really not prioritized.

We went first to our employer to see if this was something that he wanted to support, and kind of do an offshoot division of his company so that we could really kind of focus on neighborhoods that had been marginalized, that needed attention, that needed someone's commitment to come in and develop equitably, and he gave us a resounding no.

But we had a vision, and we had a desire to really do something impactful, so we left, and it was scary.

We actually went to an organization called The Reinvestment Fund and said, you know, "Can you give us some initial funding to be able to do it," because we had actually had a property that we were trying to get control of from the school district.

It was a building that had been shuttered for 12 years, and it was really causing all kinds of issues for the community.

So when we went to TRF, they said, "Look, if you can convert this into having a supermarket there," because this is a food desert.

So we said, "Okay, I think we can do that," and that was kind of our path forward, and then we partnered with larger firms.

So we really built our company doing lots of projects in that partnership structure.

Grace: Obviously, I'm a Black woman, you're a Black woman, and that's a challenge on its own, but in an industry that is already small, how has it been navigating through that and just being yourself?

Leslie: It's been tricky.

I have a outward personality, I have a strong personality.

Did we miss opportunities?

Probably, but I've just been me, and it's worked thus far, and this is the kind of things that, you know, those microaggressions and certain things that we are conscious of that maybe others are not.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and fortunately caught it early.

Had all of, you know, chemo and mastectomy and all that stuff, and I decided to get a nose ring.

Grace: It's cute.

Leslie: Thank you, but it was like, kind of like my warrior move, right, like--and I did it for me.

Some people in this industry probably are like, "What was she thinking," right, but I didn't care.

Like, this is me, authentically Leslie Smallwood-Lewis.

Does it rub some people the wrong way?

Possibly, investors may look at me and be like, "Mm, mm," but it is what it is, right, and like I said, what is for us will be for us, and I'm gonna always make sure that if it can happen, I'm gonna make it happen.

Grace: I love to hear that, because I feel like for me in school, I'm obviously taught to behave a certain way or be a certain way, and then it doesn't help having immigrant parents who were trying to fit in, and so of course there's that energy that's like pushed to like be a certain way and present yourself a certain way, and that's how you will succeed.

Leslie: Yeah, I mean, there's gonna be times obviously that you're going to, you know, have to present your way obviously in a very professional manner, and to make sure that people understand that you know what you're doing and all of that, but I don't wanna lose who I am in the midst of it, so I do feel as if I have finally found the ability to be able to do both and be fine and comfortable with that, and I hope that we are instilling the same thing in our staff.

Grace: Talking with Leslie was really insightful because she mentioned and she encouraged me to show up as my authentic self all the time.

I don't have to show up as some suited up person that's going to look the part when you are the part.

announcer: From Philly, we're headed to NYC and bringing the whole team back together.

Madeline: So how do we feel about our last interview?

Grace: I'm excited, I think it's nice to have the crew back together.

You know, the band's back.

Michal: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, it'll be like the last hurrah.

announcer: The team is headed to their last interview with Madison Hardy, who works in sustainable, responsible, and impact investing.

Madison: I'm at Bailard as a research analyst, so basically at the crux of that is just helping clients balance their portfolios with their social and environmental values.

One day could look like me researching a company to see if their values align with our client values.

Another could start with me, you know, researching and authoring a thinkpiece that describes these sustainable and responsible attributes that are important to clients and ourselves.

No day looks the same, so I love that my days keep me on my toes.

Madeline: What was your, like, education path, and how did you decide that's what you wanted to do?

Madison: So I went to Columbia University, and I graduated with a degree in psychology.

I was in school during the pandemic, so I was able to take a gap year during that time, and during that gap year I actually interned for Bailard with a sustainable and responsible team, and was really able to build my foundation of knowledge in that area.

After graduation, I found myself with an opportunity to explore the consulting field.

I was there for about a year and a half and had some great opportunities and lessons there, and throughout my tenure found myself kind of being pulled back to that sustainable and responsible space.

So I actually kept in touch with the director of SRII at Bailard, and we were able to, you know, stir up a conversation, and identified a fit for me returning back to Bailard, so it's really been a great opportunity being back and really enjoying it.

Michal: What about sustainability interests you about the space so much that you wanted to come back?

Madison: Yeah, I think I've always had, you know, a passion for giving back, and I felt that this is sort of the best avenue for me to do that.

It's really an expansive space, you know, touching on the environment, on society as as a whole, and that's, you know, something that's stayed with me ever since I was a kid, so I find that, you know, being able to use my position to align dollars in a way to have the most impact or, you know, align with client values is a really rewarding opportunity.

Madeline: What does, like, sustainable investing mean to you in this space?

Madison: Typically when we think of finance, we think of, you know, earnings reports and balance sheets and stuff like that, but the sustainable and responsible space is really looking at that non-financial information, and what do those non-financial aspects, what opportunities do they pose, and also what risks do they pose?

You know, a company that is having a large impact on the environment and not doing so much to mitigate that impact, you know, that doesn't seem like acting so responsibly, so I think just asking yourself, "Is this company acting in a way that aligns with my values, with my clients' values," and just going from there will help uncover where you wanna invest that capital.

Grace: I think a lot of the maybe fears or apprehension of investing in sustainable companies is that, one, all of that stuff is more expensive to do, so a lot of investors and people who don't know much about investing may not see that value or not see how that translates into money, so how do you ensure that they also get the returns that they're looking for?

Madison: Historically, just because you're investing sustainably and responsibly doesn't mean that, you know, you need to give up the profits that you're looking for.

You know, our main job is, like I said, to balance their portfolio, because at the end of the day we are managing wealth with their social and environmental values.

So you know, how I like to think of it, you know: if climate change, you know, overtakes us, there will be nothing for us to invest in, so I think that's how I personally look at it.

You could, you know, take the short road and invest in things that maybe don't align with your values and aren't so great for the planet, but I think, you know, in the spirit of giving back to your community, and we all are on the community of Earth, giving back in that way and feeding into the world that gives us so much, it's something that honestly we don't really have to do so much convincing the clients.

I think they are very clear that they want to make an impact with their dollars, and we'd like to just outline how we're a vehicle for them to do that.

Michal: We just wrapped up our last interview, and I'm feeling a bit bittersweet about it.

Grace: We've done a lot, we've met a lot of people, and connected with each other a lot as well.

Michal: It takes a while for me to warm up to some people, but I surprisingly warmed up to them a little quicker than I usually do.

I'm gonna miss you guys.

I'm gonna really miss you guys.

It might not come off that way because I'm not very, like, emotional, but like, I'm gonna miss you guys.

Madeline: Aww.

Michal: Okay, all right.

Grace: We'll miss you too.

Madeline: We're gonna miss you.

Grace: We're all, like, interested in similar thing, but at the same time, we all have different dreams and desires in our lives, so it's just been nice to learn and connect with them.

Madeline: I feel accomplished that I got to this point.

Like, I really took the initiative to even be a part of this project.

Grace: There's so many people that I've met and interacted with, and the reoccurring thing that they've all been saying to me at the end is like, "You know, like let's stay connected."

With us being pre-career, this is, I think, a great thing for us to take advantage of.

Michal: How do you go about making connections and also maintaining them like throughout your career?

Amiyr Jackson: It's never been easier to stay in touch with people, right, you know, we have so many avenues, but just getting out there and like actually saying yes to stuff, like pounding the pavement, I think the advice I would give from a young person's perspective is that, like, you have to say yes in your career to those like after-work events.

You won't necessarily see the results early, but it'll start to pay off in the long run.

Michal: I just think that tapping into those connections, I think, will take us all very far.

Your network is your net worth.

Madeline: I feel more confident in being able to express myself and not being afraid of being perceived a certain way.

Yanely Espinal: We need to think about what positions you to be unique and double down, triple down on that.

Don't let it be a point of shame for you because actually, it should be a badge of honor because it's gonna help people remember you, and you're gonna stand out because of that.

Grace: I think when I applied for the roadtrip initially, like, the headspace that I was in wasn't the greatest, but after like getting to meet the other roadtrippers and the leaders, just speaking to them, it kind of like opened it up that like, one, I don't have to have it all figured out.

There's nothing to rush about.

I can go after what I think I want, and then if it doesn't work out, there's always something else out there.

Kitan: If you focus on what you can focus on, control what you can control, and continue to hone the superpower that you've had to hone just to become who you are today, the rest will solve itself.

So much of success is actually just sort of like resilience in dealing with downturns, and kind of just rolling with them until things are okay then.

Madeline: Even though I'm not in school right now, I can still do great things and still achieve things while figuring things out.

Michal: I definitely feel very optimistic that I can one day support my family and also kind of get back to communities that I definitely value and cherish, and even just from a broader lens, of people that I might have never even met or known.

Connecting finance with kind of helping others and just leaving a positive impact is something that I really am passionate about, and through this roadtrip and connecting with the different leaders, I was able to see that there isn't just one way to combine the two.

Madeline: This trip for me has been like the stages of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

I grew a lot on this trip, and so it's just been like a very extraordinary period of transformation within myself, and I feel empowered.

I feel like it gave me closure to a lot of periods in my life that I just kind of put aside.

This whole trip has just been the metamorphosis of now turning into like a butterfly, and being prepared to like spread my wings and see where that takes me.

[music] [music]