John Tamrat
John Tamrat is the College Financial Coach & Partnership Coordinator at Moneythink.
“As a community, representation in leadership is vital in our journey for equity, especially in regards to education. I see Surge as a collective movement to liberate and empower the leaders within us, the leader within me.”
“A good financial plan is a road map that shows us exactly how the choices we make today will affect our future.” It’s important that we acquire the skills and knowledge to make financial decisions that align with our values and the future we envision. Empowering young people to recognize their own agency to create their future is John’s passion.
John Tamrat is the Community and Engagement Manager at Moneythink, an innovative nonprofit Edtech. Moneythink harnesses the power of people and technology to bring transparency to college costs so that all students are equipped to invest in their futures, with the emphasis on less debt and more degrees.
As a first-generation immigrant to the United States, John understands how difficult it can be to navigate the US education system with limited resources and support and believes educational opportunity shouldn’t come at the cost of financial security.
John’s work experience has always focused on supporting positive success outcomes for youth in the various roles he has held a the following organizations:
Juvenile justice reform
Fresh Lifelines for Youth
Workforce development
Genesys Works
Public schools
Saint Paul Public School District
Sports & Leadership Development
The Sanneh Foundation
While supporting students in these roles it became clear, a missing component that was continually left unaddressed was how finances, play a critical role in student success outcomes.
Empowering our most underserved and underrepresented young people with the tools and resources they need to have more control to plan for their futures lead him to Moneythink.
As a Moneythink college financial coach, he supported students through the most crucial transition period from High School to College. Specifically tackling navigating the notoriously complex and cryptic college process, that has left many students, confused, defeated, or making ill-informed choices that have major financial ramifications.
John earned his BA from Goshen College and holds an MS from the University of Leed's Business School (UK). During his studies at Leeds, his team was awarded the Deloitte Big Business for their development and presentation of the Yellow Label, securing seed funding, and incubator space. In 2015 he was selected for the ERASMUS Master’s Study Abroad scholarship to further his studies at - ESSCA University in France.
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