Student loans and mental health!

Hello, 

My name is Janay Harden, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in NJ. I also have an LLC company called Restoring Youth Destiny, in which I provide financial and mental health counseling for clients.  My goal is to use the money to create a mental health program for my community and awakening minds to the notion of creating Black generational wealth and also continuing to craft fictional and uplifting stories about women of color through my writing. I would like my program to be focused on helping women of color learn about their finances and ways they can create generational weather for themselves and their families.

I understand that in order for me to do this, I have to address my own financial issues. 

I am a first year, African American, college graduate in my family and I received my Bachelor and Master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers University in 2009 and 2011.  I incurred all of my student loans totaling more than $120,000 including interest, over 6 years of schooling and due to my family’s financial situation at the time my only options were student loans. Coming from a disadvantaged family myself we were not knowledgeable at the time regarding student loans, interest rates or what that would look like once I graduated. Everyone tells you to go to college and secure a good job but no one shows you how to do that, and for that reason I have struggled with loans since graduation. My lack of knowledge at the time relating to loans and money has a direct correlation to my finances today — and has played a factor in my own mental health. 

If I were funded, my goal would be to use the money to pay off my private student loans and create a mental health program for my community and also continue to craft stories about women of color. I currently work and reside in Millville, NJ which is a very disadvantaged city and I am committed to assisting my community with mental health services and advocacy. In addition to that, I have recently written a book, called “Hey, Brown Girl” which will be released 3/16/21. This book is a fictional story about African American families and generational ties. I am committed to my own family and securing their financial future as well as assisting others in their quest for financial freedom and mental health services for my students whom I serve.