The Graduate

When Kahdine DaCosta enrolled at Morgan State University in the fall of 1995, she was the first in her family to attend and eventually graduate college. While at Morgan State, Kahdine realized that having the money to go to college was not enough. There was so much about navigating higher education that she did not understand. Kahdine wanted to help first generation college students like herself, get the money they needed for college and the guidance required to become successful. Unfortunately, Kahdine passed away from breast cancer, at the age of 26, and her younger sister Aisha picked up her initial vision and created a not-for-profit in her honor, called I AM O'Kah! Today, I AM O'Kah! is dedicated to helping minority youth get to and through college debt. The Graduate was written for first generation students that lack ample guidance and grooming for college. With continued cuts to the budgets of urban schools, Guidance Counselors are overworked and understaffed. Parents and students can longer leave their college readiness solely in the hands of school administrators. To ensure that our youth are prepared to gradaute and step into their future careers - it will take a team effort and full-court press to and through college. The Graduate is meant to serve as a guide as for young people as they create a strategic plan for higher education and the development of personal financial goals. Readers are presented with multiple strategies to reduce the cost of higher education and given the tools to build an actionable plan for financial stability. The work is broken down into sections and chapters that directly address the three tenants of wealth: education, controlled expenses, and investments.