We're thrilled to welcome Yonathan Tadesse to the NGPF team as our newest Curriculum Designer. Yonathan brings 12 years of classroom experience teaching math and personal finance with a deep commitment to expanding opportunity and access for all students. Read on to learn how he went from business major to Teach For America corps member to personal finance teacher, and now to NGPF.

“One day, all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.”

As a college student walking through Emory’s campus, I read this sign on a Teach For America poster, and it caught my attention.

I was a business major at the time, and I had never considered working in education, but as I began doing some volunteer work tutoring in local Atlanta public schools and a refugee center, I met students who were full of potential who had simply never been given the tools to reach it.

Talent was everywhere, but opportunity was not. The educational gaps were not about ability, but about access and resources. 

Transition to Teaching

When I learned that less than 2% of the nation’s teachers were Black males, I went through my mental rolodex of teachers I had in my 12 years of education, and could only think of one. I decided to be a part of that change toward making that “one day” a reality, and joined Teach for America to become a teacher at a local Dallas high school.

I started by teaching high school Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Precalculus, where I would receive the infamous question, “When am I ever going to use this math?” 

As I continued teaching in Title I schools, I began to realize that the majority of my low-income, aspiring first-generation college students were navigating the confusing college admissions process for the first time, so I started a College Transition class with a co-teacher to help students with SAT prep, choosing a major, essays, financial aid research, and all the pieces in between.

This began my journey of realizing the need for more practical courses to help students with their path after high school.

My Journey to Financial Literacy and Next Gen Personal Finance 

Naturally, as I began to think about content that would help my students after high school, personal finance came to mind. So I pitched a personal finance course for seniors on our campus and began building it from the ground up.

While looking for resources, I came across Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF). I realized I needed to look no further. The engaging curriculum, expansive professional development, and passionate educator network immediately blew me away.

Teaching the course brought me and my students a lot of joy, and my first years of teaching personal finance would not have been the same without NGPF. I knew that the next step in my journey would be somehow related to personal finance education, so when the opportunity to work with NGPF as a curriculum designer arose, it was a full-circle moment. 

I am excited about the journey of expanding my reach beyond the four walls of my classroom and the mission of “one day all children take a personal finance course.”

About the Author

Yonathan Tadesse

Yonathan is a Dallas-based Curriculum Designer at NGPF with 12 years of experience as a high school math, college transition, and financial literacy teacher. An award-winning educator, he has a track record of launching innovative programs at the high school level that expand access and opportunity for students. He is a graduate of Emory University and is passionate about advancing financial education equity for Black and Brown students. Outside of work, Yonathan loves spending time with his wife and two kids, working out, playing chess and poker, and learning new things.

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