“Youth Finance Institute of America (YFIA) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization that promotes education literacy amongst youth.”
Our Mission:
To enrich the lives of our youth by providing support in the development of finance related life skills. Prepare students to become financially stable and independent into adulthood. 
Our Goal:
Youth Finance Institute of America’s goal is to educate youth about basic personal finance life skills. Our curriculum offers an opportunity for youth to break the cycle of poor money management habits. We prepare youth to become financially independent and to be aware of common pitfalls that lead to excessive debt and financial turmoil. Our target demographic is youth, ages 14-20 located in low to moderate income neighborhoods.
Who We Are:
An organization founded by individuals who have demonstrated a passion for youth development. We are dedicated to pouring our diverse skill sets into this organization to promote financial wellness within our community.
What We Offer:
At YFIA, we offer workshops and programs tailored to helping students learn basic concepts in the area of finance, create there own free checking and savings accounts, and a cash for college workshop for students entering the financial aid process for college!
These programs include:
Meet the Team: Executive Leadership
Amiko Foster
Executive Director/Founder
Amiko has over 19 years of combined experience administering various financial aid programs and working as a Home Loan Consultant for some of our nation’s largest banks. She has assisted individuals to overcome personal finance challenges to attain homeownership, and to be able to finance their college education. Amiko received a BA from the University of California, Berkeley along with a Certificate in Accounting.
Michael Castro
Board Member
Michael is the Enrollment Services Coordinator at San Jose City College. He runs the San Jose City College extension campus in Milpitas. Michael is a College Enrollment Professional with 8+ years of outreach, admissions counseling, financial aid, and registration experience in Higher Education. Michael holds both a BA and MA from Cogswell College.
Anthony Volkar
Board Member
Anthony has 12+ years of experience as a Counseling Assistant, Orientation Student Advising Coordinator, and other supervision and leadership roles at UC Davis. He is currently the Public Information Officer and Community Outreach in Yolo County. Anthony has received a BA in Political Science and Government from the University of California, Davis, and holds a Masters’s in Higher Education.
Desirae McNeil
Board Member
Desirae has six years of working experience in higher education. She started off working as a student worker while attending Diablo Valley College and UC San Diego. She recently worked as a Lead Student Success Program Coordinator for the First-Year Experience Program at Contra Costa College. She is currently working as a Community College Counselor and Academic Services Professional at Diablo Valley College. Desirae received a BA from the University of California, San Diego, and a MA in Counseling and Guidance from San Jose State University.
Kennedy Kaye Williams
Financial Education Coordinator
Kennedy recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BS in Business Administration. As an aspiring Financial Advisor, she hopes to spread her knowledge about budgeting, banking, and other financial-related life skills to the youth and to those who are economically disadvantaged. In addition, she desires to create various educational programs similar to YFIA’s financial literacy workshops in order to promote financial wellness within as many communities as possible.
Serena Johnson
Video Editor
Serena recently graduated from the University of California, Merced, with a BA in English Literature and plans to become a teacher someday. She currently works as a Team Leader at California Psychiatric Transitions. When she is not reading books or writing papers, she loves discovering new music and indulging in any form of artwork. Serena is very responsible and hopes to uplift the YFIA team.
Ishika Prasher
Data Scientist
Ishika is pursuing her Master’s Degree at UC Berkeley, in Data Science. This summer, she is eager to share information she wishes she had before starting college and equip the youth with strong financial skills. She also hopes to utilize her data science skills in the finance sector and find valuable insights.
Meet the Team: Senior Workshop Leaders
Alondra Zermeño
Alondra is a Richmond local and a freshman at the University of California, Davis majoring in Community and Regional Development. She is very excited to work with YFIA this summer and is looking forward to exposing the youth to new career paths and broadening their perspectives while providing them with the insight they need to continue with research of their own.
Alyssa Gauna
Alyssa is a senior at Saint Mary’s College of California majoring in Chemistry. She looks forward to enriching the lives of incoming college students with tools to aid in financial stability and independence!
Sahaj Sidhu
Sahaj is a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Bioengineering. He is excited to inform the youth about the fun and exciting opportunities available in engineering. He looks forward to sharing his experiences and knowledge, encouraging them to pursue fun internships that show the diverse aspects of STEM.
Havah Aisha Isray
Havah is a junior at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Public Health and Environmental Economics and Policy. She is excited to equip Richmond youth with the skills and knowledge essential for their future endeavors in college and their personal lives. She is motivated to help shape a well-prepared generation to navigate the complexities of the modern financial landscape.
Meet the Team: Storytellers
Our past workshop leaders coach our current interns on career paths by sharing their college and career journeys.
Jarschire Dennis
Jarschire Dennis is a young Richmond Native who attended Kennedy High School where he is known for his work in student government and the Information Technology Academy. He graduated from the University of California, Merced, while also minoring in Philosophy with a focus on morals and ethics. He currently works for the University of California, San Fransisco, as a Clinical Research Coordinator.
Sean Cochrane
Sean is currently a Project Engineer at Terracina Design and Co-Founder of Seed Saving Incorporated. He graduated from the University of California, Merced, with a major in Environmental Engineering and a minor in Business Management. He has a great interest in renewable energy and app development. Sean hopes to inspire youth during YFIA’s financial literacy workshops.
Sydney Aurelio
Sydney is currently a High School Chemistry Teacher for Teach for America. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a major in Physiological Science and a minor in Spanish Language.