Kameron Kindle and Daa’iyah Ford

Two students in Prairie View A&M University’s College of Business (COB) have put the university and its relatively new minor in personal financial planning in the national spotlight. The Association of African American Financial Advisors (AAAA) Foundation selected Kameron Kindle, a senior from Houston, and Daa’iyah Ford, a junior from Fort Hood, as its 2019 LeCount R. and Jewel W. Davis Scholars.

“We applied and crossed our fingers and hoped to God that we got the opportunity, and we did,” said Kindle. “I realized all my hard work really did pay off and that people are willing to support us in our future endeavors.”

Danny Harvey, who teaches finance at PVAMU, is the program coordinator for the COB’s personal financial planning minor, which earned its certification in 2018. He has made it his mission to ensure students interested in the field—like Kameron and Daa’iyah—are well prepared.

“I have taken students to financial planning conferences at Texas A&M, and I’ve had students go to the TD Ameritrade NextGen conference that happens annually either in San Diego or Orlando,” he said. “That exposure, as well as internships they’ve been able to obtain, has helped my students to shine.”

As Davis Scholars, the foundation pays for recipients to attend the AAAA Annual Vision Conference. The national gathering is the organization’s flagship event valuing the expertise, contributions, and collaboration of African Americans in the financial services profession. As a 501(c)3 organization, the foundation’s goal, according to its website, is to bring a holistic approach to building for future African American financial planners.

For Ford, the $2,500 merit-based scholarship reaffirms the value of her educational experience at PVAMU.

“With this

[personal financial planning] program, you not only use it in your career, but you are also able to apply it to yourself, too,” Ford shared. “So, when you grow up, and you manage your own money, you are not just telling people what you know, you are also investing in yourself.  You are investing in other people, and it has a lasting impact on generations to come.”

She also says the award and the AAAA Foundation are significant when it comes to increasing diversity in the financial planning industry.

“When you help one client, that’s going to be passed on to the next generation and help close the generational wealth gap,” Ford explained.  “And, in this industry, there is a need for young people who are African Americans and Hispanics.”