The $1M Scholarship Strategy w/ Nia Baiyeroju #1142

Summary

How to Money – Episode #1142 Summary

Episode Title: The $1M Scholarship Strategy w/ Nia Bayaroju
Podcast: How to Money (iHeartPodcasts)
Release Date: May 20, 2026
Host: Joel
Guest: Nia Bayaroju, founder of Neonose Finance

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Episode Overview

This episode features a conversation between host Joel and guest Nia Bayaroju, known for earning over $1 million in scholarships to fund her college education. Nia now empowers others to access scholarships, build wealth in college, and strategically approach higher education costs. The episode dives into tactical strategies for seeking, applying for, and winning scholarships—regardless of perfect grades—debunks myths about the process, and explores building net worth as a student.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nia’s Unique Scholarship Success Story

• Nia paid nothing for her four-year college degree (worth ~$250,000) by securing a combination of scholarships.
• She graduated with a six-figure net worth and bought her first home at age 22.
  • “While I was in school, yes, I won a million dollars to go to college and used some of those funds. But even in college, outside of scholarships… I built a six-figure net worth by the time I graduated.” (05:33)
• She now runs Neonose Finance, teaching young people to replicate her results.

2. Applying for Scholarships: Strategy and Mindset

• Volume Matters: Nia applied for ~100 scholarships, winning “about 20 to 25”—a strong success rate. Rejection is expected and normalized.
  • “I applied to about a hundred overall...out of that 100 that I applied to, I only won about 20 to 25. And that’s a pretty high…success rate.” (07:06)
  • “Rejection is normalized…sometimes the goal is almost to chase rejections because eventually you will get some acceptances.” (07:06)
• Not Just for Straight-A Students: You don’t need a 4.5 GPA, high-level clubs, or valedictorian status.
  • “It is possible. And in order to do that, you have to lean into your own story. How you win scholarships is really through storytelling.” (08:46)
• Storytelling as Advantage: Essays and interviews are about personal narrative—not just stats or credentials.
  • “Why do you watch your favorite show? ... That’s the same type of thought process you need to have for writing your scholarship essays.” (08:46)
• Family Accountability: Nia credits her mother’s relentless encouragement for keeping her on track.
  • “Procrastination should be a deadly sin. I lost $20,000 one time from a scholarship just because I did not submit a headshot.” (19:21)
  • She recommends parents incentivize and check up on progress.

3. Where and How To Find Scholarships

• Start with the college’s financial aid website or platform (e.g., Scholarship Universe for enrolled/prospective students).
• Social media is powerful: Instagram, TikTok, and even LinkedIn feature curated scholarships (often vetted by creators).
  • “Instagram is my favorite place to look for scholarships. If you search like STEM scholarships, high school scholarships, college scholarships… there are creators who post about scholarships, including myself…” (16:26)
• Large national sites: Scholarships.com is trustworthy, but beware “no-essay, easy-apply, guaranteed” scams.
  • “If it says like ‘no essay, easy apply, guaranteed,’ don’t do it, that’s a scam. They’re just trying to get your information.” (17:08)
  • JLV College Counseling is recommended for curated options.
• Apply for all amounts, not just giant awards: Many lower-dollar scholarships have fewer applicants.
  • “There was this one $1,000 scholarship that I helped to market about a year ago where they just did not get enough people to apply...you’re up against what, three people?” (18:15)

4. Scholarship Application Tips & Workflow

• Most scholarships require essays. Many repeat similar questions (“Describe a hardship,” “What are your goals?”), so essays can be upcycled.
  • “Once you’ve answered it once, you can, you know, kind of re-upcycle. That’s why I say upcycle.” (20:43)
• Work Smarter: Use speech-to-text tools for essay drafting, copy/paste core content, and “upcycle” for each new application with minor tweaks.
  • “Just say hey Siri and start talking to her and the words start to flow out a little easier when you talk them through.” (21:53)
• Not all scholarships require renewal every year—read the fine print.
• Return on investment: Applying for scholarships can net a far higher per-hour payoff vs. working minimum wage jobs in high school.

5. Myths & Barriers Around Scholarships

• Income “doesn’t matter” as much as people think: Not all scholarships are need-based.
  • “We don’t qualify because we make too much…That is a very big misconception.” (26:01)
• 529 savings don’t preclude winning scholarships: Scholarship winnings can “stack” on top of college savings.
• Community colleges and technical schools are overlooked paths: Easier to earn funding with less competition; can later transfer to four-year schools.

6. Making the Most of College Beyond Scholarships

• Value-adds outside the classroom:
  • Free mental health care, personal training, study abroad (often with funding), internships.
  • “60 to 70% of college happens outside of the classroom. ... I made about $40,000 from my various internships while I was in college.” (28:11)
• Internships are key for launching careers, not just for short-term pay.

7. Building Wealth & Buying a Home in College

• Internship earnings and scholarships allowed Nia to build a net worth of over $100,000 before graduating.
• Exposure (from family or community) is critical—a parent’s example can set the expectation for early homeownership or saving.

8. Mindset: “Apply Even If You Don’t Qualify”

• Don’t pre-disqualify: If you meet most (but not all) requirements for jobs, scholarships, or internships, apply anyway.
  • “Apply even if you don’t qualify. If you don’t take anything else from this, take that.” (35:53)
  • “I would never tell myself no and I don’t recommend any other student tell themselves no.” (35:53)
• Getting reps in the interview process matters. Even rejections or failed interviews teach valuable lessons for next time.

9. Gen Z and Managing Financial Overload

• Analysis paralysis is real, especially with so many choices and expectations on social media.
  • “First of all, it’s not real. You see someone’s highlight reel ... that's the normal, but it’s not.” (40:25)
• Advice: Pick one financial goal, work at it for a few months, then move to the next; avoid spreading yourself too thin.

10. Is College Worth It in 2026?

• Explicitly acknowledges the growing “anti-college” trend due to rising costs.
• Nia’s take:
  • Only pursue if you have a plan to keep costs low via scholarships/aid.
  • The network and exposure from college can be invaluable.
  • Degree/major matters; STEM keeps more options open, but non-STEM roles can be lucrative if taken strategically.

11. Advice for Those with Student Loan Debt

• Community is essential for support and resources.
• Leverage social media and podcasts for up-to-date strategies around debt repayment and loan policy shifts.

12. Big Life & Financial Goals

• Nia’s original goal: buy a house by 21 (achieved at 22); next goal: $1 million net worth by 30.
  • “You have to be very aggressive about what it is that you want and make it known in order to achieve it.” (49:42)
• Making her goals public has opened doors and provided accountability.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On chasing rejection:
  • “At some point in time, the goal is almost to chase rejections because eventually you will get some acceptances.” (07:06)
• On unconventional scholarships:
  • “There are scholarships for absolutely anything…My brother, he’s a really good skater…he got, you know, 500 bucks just because he’s a really good skater.” (13:21)
• On procrastination:
  • “I lost $20,000 one time from a scholarship just because I did not submit a headshot.” (19:21)
• On the importance of making your goals public:
  • “If sometimes you don’t—people don’t know how to help you, because you don’t know how to ask for it. And that’s when I say make it known.” (50:30)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro and Nia’s “Splurge”—Experiences: 02:34–04:06
• Overview of Nia’s Scholarship Story & Earning Net Worth: 04:49–06:09
• Volume and Rejection in Scholarship Applications: 07:06–08:16
• Storytelling as Scholarship Advantage: 08:46–09:22
• Finding Scholarships & Avoiding Scams: 13:21–17:30
• On Scholarship Scams & Unclaimed Money: 17:30–18:45
• Parents’ Role & Procrastination: 19:21
• Scholarship Essays—Reuse and Strategy: 20:43–21:53
• Renewing Scholarships: 22:20–22:34
• Myths (Income, GPA): 26:01–27:18
• Maximizing College ROI Beyond Classes: 28:11–29:23
• Buying a House as a Student: 31:35–32:20
• Mindset: "Apply Even If You Don’t Qualify": 35:53–36:46
• On Interviewing & Learning from Failure: 37:49–38:59
• Gen Z, Information Overload, One Thing at a Time: 40:25–41:35
• Is College Worth It? The Network, Price, Degree Considerations: 44:59–47:36
• Advice for Student Loan Holders: 48:16–49:23
• Nia’s $1M Goal by 30 & Power of Stating Goals: 49:42–51:20

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Apply for more scholarships—expect rejection, but keep going.
• Your “story” can matter more than pure stats.
• Take advantage of every opportunity and perk available in college; they add real value.
• Parents: get involved and incentivize scholarship applications.
• Make your financial/life goals public for accountability and new connections.
• Don’t self-disqualify—apply for roles, scholarships, or opportunities even if you feel only “mostly” qualified.
• Find community and support, whether seeking scholarships or repaying debt.

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For more resources and links mentioned in the episode, visit HowToMoney.com.

Transcript

[Nia Bayaroju]

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[Joel]

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[Joel]

And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves. And@ Indeed.com podcast, terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored jobs. Welcome to how to Money. I'm Joel and today I'm talking the $1 million scholarship strategy with Nia Bayaroj. So most of us think of college as investment, one that hopefully pays off over decades. And for a lot of people, it does. With the costs skyrocketing, it's just not the slam dunk that it used to be. So what if you could flip that equation? What if instead of paying for college, college paid you? Well, my guest today did exactly that. Nia Bayaroju earned over a million dollars in scholarships. Now she's helping others do the same. It sounds like a made up number, but it's not like she really did. So we'll talk about that. And she's here to actually break down how it works. How you can take advantage, how you can use the system to get your higher education for less money. Nia, thanks for joining me.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Thanks for having me. Happy to be here.

[Joel]

So glad you're here. The first question I ask everybody who comes on the show, Nia, is what they like to splurge on. We call it the craft beer equivalent because I like to spend a lot of money on good craft beer. What is your craft beer equivalent? What are you spending? Maybe ridiculous sums of money on, or at least other people might think it's ridiculous. But, hey, it's okay because you're still saving and investing for the future.

[Nia Bayaroju]

My craft beer equivalent has to be experiences. I just got married actually, last year, and my husband.

[Joel]

Yes. Congrats.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Thank you. Thank you. We're going to the F1 race in Japan in, like, two weeks. Literally less than two weeks. So I'm excited about that.

[Joel]

That's amazing. Oh, my gosh. Did you. Have you watched the Netflix series?

[Nia Bayaroju]

I watched the movie. I have not watched the series. Honestly, I'm just going for the vibes. Okay. But I love a good experience and just trying new things I never would have tried before.

[Joel]

Yeah. What? Give me example of another experience that you've partaken in that was well, well worth the spend.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Skydiving.

[Joel]

Oh, yeah.

[Nia Bayaroju]

That was so much fun. It was actually for my 21st birthday, I felt like I was jumping into a new phase of life, so why not jump out of the sky, you know, to symbolize that?

[Joel]

So that's something I've not done, but I totally would do. And I wouldn't let money hold me back on that one, so.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh, yeah, you gotta do it at least once.

[Joel]

I've got somebody else that wants to go with me, though. Nobody in my family is down for it, so I got. I have to go solo, which sounds lame.

[Nia Bayaroju]

I mean, there's always tandem, so, like, you're never really alone, so, you know, just go.

[Joel]

That's true.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Yeah. All right, so let's. Let's talk about college. I mean, that's so much of what this episode is going to focus on. And why I wanted to talk to you is because you seem to find a solution to a system that confounds millions every single year. And when you look at it like an inflation chart, right, you see college costs and health care, those pop out, those stand out. You look at, you're like, I'm paying less for my smartphone service and the TV I just bought, but my goodness, I'm paying so much more for college. That feels like a drop in the bucket to get a cheaper television. And going to college, college for free sounds like a dream, but it's. It wasn't for you. Like, somehow you made it happen. Can you maybe just give me a quick overview? Then we can dive in and ask a bunch of specific Questions?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, high level overview is, yes, college is expensive. My full college tuition was about $250,000 over four years and some, some students need five, if not six years. So college is quite expensive and scholarships are the name of the game. They will save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. But even outside of scholarships, there's a bunch of creative ways to apply for, to pay for college. And we'll talk about that, I'm sure.

[Joel]

Yeah. Okay. You also did this too. Like you, I've heard you talk about how you made money as a student. So you just talked about how, what, a quarter million dollars in, in total college costs that you needed to cover, but you ended up not just like covering the cost of college, but, but making money too.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, yeah. So while I was in school, yes, I won a million dollars to go to college and use some of those funds. But even in college, outside of scholarships or outside of funds as well, I built a six figure net worth by the time I graduated. So when I was 21 graduating, I had the six figure net worth. I bought my first house the same year I graduated, which was a huge goal of mine and God put it on my heart to start my business. And that's where Neonose finance was born. And I go around teaching other college students, high school seniors, 20 something, how to do the same. Because adulting is hard, but I don't believe money should be.

[Joel]

Yeah, yeah. And that's like really demystifying what I think for what a lot of people, personal finance and the language and learning some of the basics, it can feel like learning Greek or something like that, or maybe Hebrew or Latin, I don't know, maybe, maybe even a dead language. Right? But once they kind of get accustomed and someone can talk to them like in human terms about money, it can often feel a lot more approachable, like, oh wait, I can do this. And instead of maybe this, like this daunting inability to perceive the information, like people can let their guard down and start to figure out the personal finance thing. I think if they're talked to in a way they can understand. I want to specifically dive into scholarships for a little bit. How many scholarships did you apply for? And I want to go back to buying a house, but how many scholarships did you apply for to get the, the scholarship money that you got to pay for all of your schooling? And I can't imagine that you, that you got every single scholarship that you applied for, right?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh, no. Rejection is normalized. At this point, I feel like applying to as many scholarships as I did really gave me some tough skin. I applied to about a hundred overall, and I did this all my high school. Senior year, specifically the. The fall semester was the bulk of it, and then also some in the spring. And out of that, like 100 that I applied to, I only went about 20 to 25. And that's a pretty high, I would say, like, success rate. And this is coming from someone who had like a 4.53 GPA in high school, was in all the clubs, president, and I still got rejected. I will never forget. My very first scholarship I applied to was the Coca Cola scholarship. And I thought I had it in the bag, and they rejected me. And honestly, that's why I don't drink Coke to today. But more of a Pepsi girl. Yeah, yeah, more of the Pepsi. But rejection is normalized. And I feel like if you don't put yourself out there, you don't apply, you don't keep trying, then you won't get anything. And at some point in time, the goal is almost to chase rejections because eventually you will get some acceptances.

[Joel]

Okay, you just talked about your incredible GPA and the insane resume that you had from high school does. So the average person who's listening to this and they're like, my kid has a solid gpa, right? Or they. They're. They're in a few clubs, but they're not like, going gangbusters like NIA over there. They. They. They're not going to be the valedictorian of their class. Is. Is it possible for them to repeat essentially what you were able to do?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh, yeah, 100%. That's one of the things I talk about, is how to get 4.0 results without having a 4.0 GPA. Because it is possible. And in order to do that, you have to lean into your own story. How you win scholarships is really through storytelling. I tell my students all the time, why do you watch your favorite show? You know, what hooks you, what makes you keep coming back? That's the type. Same type of thought process you need to have for writing your scholarship essays, doing your scholarship interview, just building your personal brand and reaching out and networking to people in general. You have to be able to tell your story.

[Joel]

Yeah. How did you know in the first place that this was, like, the smart thing to do? Right. What made you think. Because I swear, I know kids. One of my nephews about to go off to school, and I've tried to be like, have you started hunting for scholarships? And it's kind of like, whatever, man. Okay, boomer. As the results I get, I'm like, I'm a millennial. Don't call me a boomer. But how did you know to take the approach of applying for scholarships? Was there an adult in your life who was like, hey, this could pay off handsomely. Did you see somebody else do it? Were you just like, I have a sneaking suspicion this could give me some, some free money for school?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, it's honestly all my mom, love my mommy, shout out to her, but she actually got a full ride to go to school as well. So college was always ingrained in me. And if I didn't go to college, I would have went into real estate. Just got my license as soon as I turned 18. But yeah, really, college was, I guess, not an option. It was like you were going. And now it's like, okay, how are you gonna pay for it? Because I know people who their student loan payments are like two to three thousand dollars per month. And I just can't imagine being a new grad, like half my paycheck off the top is gone, so I knew I had to pay for it. And you asked that question about how can students who don't have like a, you know, four point something something GPA still go to college debt free? I mean, there's ways to reduce your college cost up front, whether that be through AP exams, CLEP exams, a technical college, or getting your associate's degree. That's something that I did as well just to help reduce cost as much as possible. Because when you go to a four year traditional university and you're paying what, 40, 60, $90,000 per year, you don't want to be undecided, I would say. So take some time. Yeah, figure that out first.

[Joel]

The community college to a four year university route makes a lot of sense. Save it. Oh, sure, big bucks for a couple of years while you're trying to figure things out. Then you can always transfer to the university and get the diploma with the name brand on it after the fact.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh yeah. And a lot of times it's easier to get funding for community college because it has a bad stigma, I would say, which I don't think it should. But because of that, a lot of people don't go after it. Making it easier, less competition, so you could get more opportunities from community college. So it's a great idea to go

[Joel]

first, do you think? When I was in high school, I worked a fast food job and it was not the most lucrative. Pretty sure I was getting paid 515 an hour, I think the Minimum wage has gone up a little bit since then, but. And for me it was more than the money. Like I learned a lot in that job. I think it was really good for me in other ways. But in terms of my hourly rate, I probably could have done a lot better applying for scholarships instead of like going to, you know, give fries and sodas to customers.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Right, yeah, that's what I always talk whenever I do my like public speeches. It's return on investment. We're all finance people here. Do you want to work a job gigging? I think now the minimum wage gone up just a little bit. My first job was like $7.50 per hour. When in that same hour you could apply for a scholarship and make $1,000. Right. And what job are you going to have at 16, 17, 18, making a thousand dollars an hour? Let me, let me rephrase that. What legal job? It's not right, so.

[Joel]

Right.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, scholarships is the way to go, especially if you're in high school or you are in college because you can still get scholarships while you're in college.

[Joel]

Yeah, I want to talk about that too. But I guess this begs the question like where, where does one go to find scholarships that are worth applying for? What are, what are maybe like the best sites to use? Are you, are you hunting for the big dollar, high dollar scholarships or are you like casting your net wide and you're even applying for the ones that are like 100 bucks or 500 bucks? What's is, is there like a best strategy when it comes to applying and where to go?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, let's break that down. So best strategy is first look at yourself as a student. Like I said, I had a very competitive profile. So I was able to go after those large dollar scholarships and even some of those I did not win. So if you know you have a very competitive profile, specifically a high school senior or like college freshman. Sophomore. A lot of the large scholarships are to you. When I say large, I mean like 50,000 plus. So I would say go for those if you have the profile to back it up. If you don't, then you need to lean more into your stories and your personal skill set. And there are scholarships for absolutely anything. Like my brother, he's a really good skater. He was not a 4 point something student. I think he had a solid GPA as well. But he knows how to skate like really good and he got, you know, 500 bucks just because he's a really good skater. So whatever that is for you and your specific skill set, lean into that and as far as where to find roller skates. Yeah, roller skating.

[Joel]

Okay.

[Nia Bayaroju]

All right. I can't roller skate. Who knew there was a scholarship literally for absolutely anything? I can't roller skate. I'm not that athletic. I did not get that gene. But he's really good at it. And it was like a roller skating competition. And if you kind of stayed into the end, you got 500 bucks. And I'm like, you're gonna do something you love anyway. Why not get a scholarship for it?

[Joel]

Yeah. What are some of the. I want to go back to the. Maybe like specific sites that you think are ideal. But then I also would love for you to. To tell me maybe some more hyper random scholarships you've seen while you've been out there on the. On the interwebs hunting for them.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Some random ones I've seen. Okay, the roller skating one that was out there, I saw one for like baking a cake. Like, if you're really good at baking, like, tell us why you love it and you could win a scholarship. From your, your ancestry. I know you said you're Norwegian. I married, my husband's Nigerian. Like, depending upon where you're from, there are scholarships for that. There's scholarships if you're feet tall. Scholarships for like the major you want, like, absolutely anything. Because if you think about it, these organizations, they want to invest in young people. So why not be on the receiving end of that investment? And as long as you meet the criteria, no matter how random it may be, you can go after it.

[Joel]

So is there. Is there a best website or two that seem to amalga or just like, gather the. The best scholarships from everywhere and are you then sent off to. From those sites to these disparate sites to apply? Are you doing it all through the scholarship site or app? Like, how does that work?

[Nia Bayaroju]

The best sites that I've seen for finding scholarships, specifically, if you're in college, I would say go to your college's like financial aid website or financial aid office. A lot of times they have their own scholarship platforms, and depending upon the school, either you have to have, you know, like a student ID to access it, or even prospective students can use that website as well. A lot of times they partner with this platform called Scholarship Universe. So I would see if your college offers that. But even outside of that, Instagram is my favorite place to look for scholarships.

[Joel]

Tell me more.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, Instagram, if you search like STEM scholarships, high school scholarships, college scholarships, whatever the keyword is, there are creators who post about scholarships, including myself, that you can Find. So I always say start with Instagram and then go to TikTok stock, even LinkedIn. And a lot of times those are already filtered out. Not scams, because you know people who are researching them are posting them. Because I don't want you to get scammed because there are scholarship scams out there.

[Joel]

What about the what. What about the big sites? Are you like scholarships.com fast web scaly? Are those like good places to turn or are those just like too? There's too much information. There's no chance of you finding what you're looking for. You need to be a little more like guerrilla warfare tactics trying to find these scholarships.

[Nia Bayaroju]

I don't love all of them because scholarship scams are quite common. I think scholarships.com is the one that I would recommend out of all the big sites. And if it says like, no, no essay, easy, apply, like guaranteed, don't do it, that's a scam. They're just trying to get your information. But there is this website called JLV College College Counseling. They do a really good job at filtering the scholarships to apply for.

[Joel]

You mentioned scholarship scams. What, what are the. How do those work?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Usually they're just quick information grabs. If you ever see, you know your information has been leaked or you're getting emails from stuff that you've never even signed up for, that's how it. That's how it's most common. But sometimes they even try and get like, you to enter your credit card information to say that you've won something and you have not. You get a random fee somewhere. So those are usually how it shows up most commonly.

[Joel]

I saw something about unclaimed scholarship money. There's like apparently hundreds of millions of dollars that go unused or unclaimed every year. Is this people that get accepted for a scholarship and never claim the funds or what's the deal? And is there a way for other people to take advantage of that?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, what I've seen is actually like a billion dollars last time I checked. According to Forbes, it's a lot of money. And a lot of times it's just these organizations that want to give to students, but they don't get enough qualified applicants. Like there was this one $1,000 scholarship that I helped to market about a year ago where they just did not get enough people to apply. And that's why I said, like, especially the smaller ones, some people just won't do it. And you're up against what, three people? And those three people didn't even write their essay right. So Please apply to these smaller scholarships.

[Joel]

Dang, that's crazy. So, okay, there's a lot of scholarships out there. The average person. Average has the ability to get scholarships because, hey, there's a lot out there that not enough people even apply for. Right. People are trying to give away, buddy. And people, the. The next generation is just not looking and not signing up for some of these scholarship opportunities. Do you have any tips? You talked about how your mom was kind of your inspiration in this. How did she motivate you to do the work of looking and applying? And how do you maybe suggest parents incentivize their kids to hunt for scholarships?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, I think parents play a vital role in keeping their kids accountable. Because obviously your child's going through a lot, right? They still have school, they still have their outside sports organizations, whatever they're doing. So you gotta be on them. I definitely would say my mom was. Did you apply for this? Did you apply for that? And sometimes it was like, oh my gosh, leave me alone. But at the same time, procrastination is. I should be a deadly sin. I lost $20,000 one time from a scholarship just because I did not submit a headshot. And like I did everything else, but I forgot the headshot, So I lost 20 grand. And that's why you need someone to be on you telling you how to do it. And I think for parents, I mean, know your child, like, is it money that incentivizes them? You know, I'll give you $10 per scholarship you app or go on a trip. If you apply to 50 scholarships or whatever it is that works for your child, use that to help motivate them.

[Joel]

Okay, so you talked about storytelling. Grades are certainly part. Like, I'm guessing some scholarships you have to have a certain GPA to qualify. Extracurriculars, that's gotta be factored in. Right? And part of it depends on what scholarship you're applying for. I'm sure as well. Like tell me about the essay part. Is that something that's common for every scholarship and is, is that annoying? Like, how much time are we talking about that you need to dedicate to applying for each of these scholarships?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, when it comes to applying for scholarships, the essay is a large part. Not all scholarships require essays. Some require video submissions. So, you know, like a two minute submission or if you're an artsy person, maybe it's an art submission or work piece of work that you've done, but a large majority of them still require essays. And as far as when it comes to writing Them I always suggest working smarter and not harder. Most times they'll ask you the exact same questions. You know, tell me about the time when you had to work through a hardship, whatever that hardship may be, or tell me what you want to do with your career. Most scholarships will ask you the exact same questions in various different ways. So once you've answered it once, you can, you know, kind of re upcycle. That's why I say upcycle. Use the parts that are necessary, put in the information about the scholarship specifically to show that you care, and you'll just copy and paste everything. But there are definitely ways to make the process more efficient.

[Joel]

So, yeah, think really, really long and hard on the front end when you write the answer. And then maybe cut and pasting never hurt, right?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh, for sure.

[Joel]

Okay. Okay. So it's not like you're starting from scratch every single time you're applying for another scholarship.

[Nia Bayaroju]

No, don't recommend. And if you have essays that you've already written, like say, for a college admissions or even in high school, sometimes you can utilize those exact same essays. So just pull from the work that you've already done. And when it comes to writing them, I always love to use talk to text. So sometimes it's hard to write on a piece of paper or write on your laptop. Just say hey, Siri, and start talking to her and. And the words start to flow out a little easier when you talk them through.

[Joel]

Do you. Do you have to reapply for scholarships every year? Is this kind of wash, rinse and repeat or typically when you apply and get accepted for a scholarship, is it. Does it apply to all four years of school? What does that look like?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Well, it depends on the scholarship. So some are renewable automatically, so they will automatically renew. And you have to either submit a certain number of requirements, like say your GPA on an annual basis, or you don't. You just have to look at the fine print and then some are just a one time.

[Joel]

Okay. All right, I've got more questions I want to get to with you, Nia. I want to specifically talk about beyond scholarships. How do you enhance the value of your college experience? We'll talk about that and how you built $100,000 net worth by the age of 21. We'll get to that right after.

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[Joel]

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[Joel]

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[Joel]

Get [e-mail] future expenses charged by your investments and other costs and fees associated with trading or transacting in your account. Apply Fidelity Brokerage Services Member NYSE SIPC all right, we're back from the break, still talking with my new friend Nia Vayaroju. We're discussing the Skitton's college scholarships and how to make the most of your college experience without taking on a lot of debt. Because that is the worst part of school, as far too many Americans have found out, is the debt that's attached to that diplomat at the end of the day that people are often paying off for decades to come. Nia, I want to ask you too. What are the biggest scholarship myths or misconceptions when people think or hear the word scholarship? I think maybe a lot of people think they assume there's probably nothing out there for me or gosh, it's going to be really. It's going to be really, really hard. And so maybe I should do something a little easier. I don't know, what would you say are the biggest roadblocks or just personal barriers that people put up to thinking of or considering applying for scholarships?

[Nia Bayaroju]

One of the biggest pieces of pushback that I get from families when it comes to applying for scholarships is we don't qualify because we make too much. And that is a very big misconception. Especially when you're in that weird space of, you know, you don't have a quarter mil to drop on every kid. But at the same time, it's not like you make nothing so you, you know, won't qualify for those financial need scholarships. You should still be completing your FAFSA and you should still be applying to scholarships because again, not everything's financial need based and sometimes you have to have a FAFSA in order to get aid, depending upon which scholarship or which grant you're applying for.

[Joel]

Okay? So don't assume just because you make 150 grand a year that there's no scholarships out there for your child. Even though you're doing fine, there might still be some great scholarships that are going to complete significantly reduce the cost of that education.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh yeah, there definitely is. And even when you have like 529 savings plans, for example, you don't have to rely only on that. You can get enough scholarships to cover all your costs and then still give your child that savings and have them use it for, you know, first car or down payment on a house or whatever the case is, maybe building up their investment portfolio so you don't have to utilize all of your savings even if you do have a savings.

[Joel]

Had your mom been saving in a 529 account for you?

[Nia Bayaroju]

She did, she did. And I just got the check, which is awesome.

[Joel]

Oh, that's awesome. And now especially like when we talk about the more flexible 529 rules, some of that money could be used too over time. Put it, you know, fund a Roth IRA for you, which is super cool. There's. Yeah, I love how much more flexible 529s are. And over saving at a 529 is less of an issue in 2026 than it was in 2020 even. Right. So that's a really good thing. You've talked about how classes and education are a big part of the college experience, but that there are other ways to increase the value of what you get out of college. I think a lot of people assume it's just the diploma at the end of the day or it's just the connections that I made. It's just the relationships. Do you think beyond those two things that college has things to offer that young people should be looking out for?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh for sure. 60 to 70% of college happens outside of the classroom. You mentioned connections, a huge one. The people that you meet, the people that you're surrounded with, the connections that you make with your professors could help you lead to different job opportunities and opportunities in general. But you're, you're already paying your tuition and there's so many like little fees that you pay for that you don't even know are covered. For example, mental health services. If you are an adult, like without college or without a job, without insurance, it's so expensive to talk to a therapist. You're already paying for it. Right? When it comes to your school, personal training, that's a huge one. Study abroad opportunities. I was able to travel and study abroad completely for free to me because I already, I applied to like a scholarship with my school and was able to do that. Internships, it's a huge one because you have a edu for your email. There are so many opportunities that are just automatically coming to you. And I made about $40,000 from my various internships while I was in college. And the list goes on about the different opportunities and things that are specially given to you because you are a college student.

[Joel]

So you said that you made $40,000 from your internships. You're much smarter than me because I got paid $0 for my internship, but at least my internship turned into easily into a job. Right? So that's the 40 grand is nice, but maybe even the nicer thing about getting a good internship or two or three beyond, who cares if you get paid to a certain extent because if it's giving you the connections and potentially a job right when you graduate, especially in a job economy that's not as robust as it has been. That's a pretty sweet benefit too.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh yeah, it's tough when I meet grads who just spent four years, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars on a degree and they cannot find a job right after graduation. So yeah, even if you get an internship just for the experience, just for the connections or the full time job afterwards, it's so worth it.

[Joel]

Underrated for sure. Didn't you turn down a job offer right after you graduated to the pretty sweet job in New York City?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh yeah. I had a six figure job offer at a very large investment bank and it sounded great on paper. But this is something that you have to think through when you are ready for that time to graduate get your first job. It's more than just the base salary, right. I think it's overall compensation, overall lifestyle, that you have to weigh the pros and cons and see if it fits best for you.

[Joel]

And six figures sounds like a lot. And then you live in New York City and you're like, not as much as it would be in a lot of the parts.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Exactly.

[Joel]

All right, let's talk about buying a home and building a massive net worth by the age of 21. So was that $40,000 you earned from internships? Was that part of it? Because like most 21 year olds I talked to Nia, they have a negative net worth, right? They, they don't have any money or very little money saved. They certainly don't have money in investments and they definitely haven't bought a home. I don't know the last time I Talked to a 21 year old who had already purchased a home, that's, that's like overachieving status at this point in our culture. So how'd you pull it off?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, well, you know what's so funny? So I bought the house the year I graduated. So I was 22 by when I bought my first house. And, you know, I felt like such a failure because I wanted to do it at 21, but, oh, either way, I believe that it really happened at a young age. I think my mom was a big, big part of it because she bought her House at 21. So that's why I was like, oh, I have to be the same or be her. So that was a really large factor. And that's why I think exposure is so important because sometimes you don't even know what you can get or what exists.

[Joel]

So you're a little competitive.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh, 100% competitive. So I think it's like exposure is so important. So that's why I try and talk to as many students as I can so they can know what is out there and what is possible, especially at a young age.

[Joel]

So do you think also we talked about repeatability and can the average person get the scholarships that you're able to get? And you made it sound like you think so. You think that a lot more people could take advantage of the scholarship system. They could do quite well even if they don't have a 4.5 GPA. But it also sounds like you have a lot of hustle, maybe like an unceasing work ethic. Do you think people need that to be able to repeat these results? Do you feel like you were burning the midnight oil in Order to get the scholarships, save the money, get the internship, buy the house. Did you feel burnt out by the end of that process or. No, this is like, this is totally within the realm of a normal college student who can still enjoy time out with their friends and still have hobbies.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh yeah, no, it's a great question, like burnout, because like I said, mental health is a really big part of just adulting in general. And that's something that you start to get used to in college life. And funny enough, I did not feel burnt out. And the only reason I didn't was because after my freshman year, again, very competitive person, I took calculus and I failed. And I was like, what do you mean I failed? Like what? And I, I really needed that experience to kind of turn something in my head and realize like, you know, college is not just about class. So I'm going to be honest with you. I did not have a 4.0. At some point in time my GPA dropped to like a 2.8, which was tough for me. But that realization, I did end up building it back to like a 33 or something like that. I didn't go as hard in school, I went a lot harder outside of school. And that's why I was able to get the same like, level of success that I achieved. So because I had that balance of like, I didn't run myself crazy, you know, studying all times of night and plus still trying to pursue these other dreams, I think that's what really helped me. But for the average college student, you know, maybe you don't want to hit a six figure net worth even if you have ten grand saved up, you're better off than like most of Americans out there. So I feel like even if you just want to kind of coast and not go as hard, you could still say 5, 10k by the time you graduate, which will help you out so much when you are ready to walk that stage.

[Joel]

So the burden you were placing on yourself was more, was less in the classroom and repeating your high school academic results to the tune of like a 4.5 GPA, you're like, as long as it's good enough. I've got these other. I want to jump start my, my personal financial. I just want to graduate on with good standing in a way that none of my peers do.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh yeah, because when it comes to like those six figure job offers, they don't care that you have a 4.0 GPA. Like that doesn't matter in college. What matters is your um, and again, your Story outside of the classroom. I. I built a business when I was in college. No one, like, basically no one else could say that. And I distinctly remember asking them, okay, like, why did you choose me? It was because I had these experiences and was able to talk to them.

[Joel]

You, you also. I've heard you talk about how you had, like, a different approach when applying for internships, when applying for jobs, and even applying for openings that you felt unqualified for, or that when they listed out the requirements, you're like, that ain't me. Like, I don't have. I don't have five years of experience. I'm just graduating. What, what made you feel bold enough to apply anyway? How did that shake out? Do you think people take those lists of requirements as, as gospel when they should probably be questioning it and applying anyway?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, apply even if you don't qualify. Like, if you don't take anything else from this, take that. Because as long as you meet like, like 60 of the requirements, you'll be fine. I distinctly remember my internship that I got my sophomore year of college. Technically, you had to be like, a junior or in your third year of college. I was not. I did have, like, associate's credits, so, like, from when I was still in high school. So, you know, you can kind of massage some of the requirements to, to get to where you need to be. But I would never tell myself no. And I don't recommend any other student tell themselves no. Like, the worst that you get is, you know, a rejection or you get a no. But the best you could get is you get a yes. And sometimes opportunities are made specifically for you if you have the right profile to achieve those. So I definitely suggest go after, you know what it is you want to go after. And even if you don't get it, there's still opportunities within that.

[Joel]

Yeah. And sometimes the job listing that's made is like they're hunting for the ideal candidate. And they're like, if we could find somebody that would meet every single one of these metrics, we'd be stoked. We'd be thrilled. But very few people, like, hit all the metrics or especially hit all the metrics and want that job. And so if you hit a couple of the metrics and you're a go getter, like, apply and show them what you got, even. But what is it? You'll never. You miss 100% of the shots you never take. Right. And I think that's kind of what you're alluding to here is, like, you got to take Some shots, even if it sure looks like you're shooting from half court.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Oh yeah. And like I said, just experiences that you get from all of those different types of things and that will help lead to even more expensive experiences and even open more door. So don't be afraid to apply.

[Joel]

Yeah. So, okay, tell me this. Did when you were applying for jobs, were there any times where you applied and you didn't get the job, but you feel like you learned something in the process, Maybe you made a connection or you learned something about yourself in the interview process?

[Nia Bayaroju]

I would specifically say the interviews. I remember when I was applying to internships and, and even jobs, when I was getting ready to graduate, I would apply and say I was able to get to the first round. But sometimes during those interviews, it's like they trip you up and it's like they trip you up on purpose. And getting caught on like my own words, I feel like I learned a lot about slowing down because I always felt stressed and anxious and I got to answer perfectly incorrectly. But no, slow down, breathe. That's something I had to learn the hard way, especially when it came to even presenting. I remember I pitched a, like an incubator at my school. They had a pitch competition where you could win money for your business. And I was just so, so nervous, so, so anxious and like, like sweating bullets. But I was able to take what I learned from those interviews, those failed interviews, if we're being honest about just slowing down and letting myself think before I spoke. And that's what helped me win a place at the pitch competition.

[Joel]

And interviewing is a skill in and of itself. And oh man, to be honest, most people, we interview so in free. Like if I was going for an interview tomorrow, it's been so long, I would have to like, totally do some refreshing. That's why I work for myself. But yeah, it's one of those things where you really, you don't realize you probably need some reps. So even if you don't get the job, the connection you make, right, or what you learned as part of the interview process, you can take that into the next interview. And where you might have fallen short, this is the time you jump over the hurdle because you've got the skill now. You've harnessed that skill of interviewing. Well, a lot of the advice that you give, it's targeted towards Gen Z. And in some ways I feel like Gen Z totally faces some, some personal finance hurdles that their parents didn't. But there's also, there are also more like resources and available to Gen Z than ever before. Like, I was talking to a Gen Xer recently and he's talking about how in some ways they were the lost generation. Right? They didn't, they're losing access to pensions, but they just didn't have much personal finance, education, about 401ks. So in many ways they were worse, worse off than. Maybe they had lower home prices, but there were, there were some disadvantages there, I guess. What, what do you say to Gen Zers when they ask you maybe the proper way to react to increased costs of a lot of things, including housing, but then they also have greater access to information and resources than ever before too.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, it's, it's paralyzing. Adulting is so hard. I just recently got married, you know, buying the whole house and, and figuring things out on that side. It's so much, it's honestly like information overload and, and analysis paralysis. And I'm an overthinker, heavy overthinker. And I know a lot of other Gen zers are, especially with social media. You, you see like this 18 year old who just became a millionaire and you're like, oh, I'm failing in life. But it's not, first of all, it's not real. Like you see someone's highlight real like the best day of their life on socials, but since you're surrounded by that, you think that's the normal, but it's not. So that's why I think it's really important to unplug for Gen Z when you can and pick one thing and on it like, yes, there's a lot of different things out there. Trust me, I know. But when you pick one thing and just try and do that one thing, you will see better results than trying to do like 50 things at one time and then questioning to yourself, okay, why is this not working when it comes to like personal finances? So say for example, you want to like, invest and you want to save and you want to pay off debt and you want to do this, you want to do that, like pick one first and at least for like three months and start to build up that muscle.

[Joel]

Hmm. Yeah. Get good at something. Get a little bit. Yeah, just get, get some history under your belt. Start putting money into that Roth IRA like clockwork every three months and then you can move on to figuring something else out. Yeah, I agree. But if you're trying to do it all at once, it feels like you're going in too many directions. All right, I have a few more questions I want to get to with you, Nia, including kind of where you see yourself. When you're 30, you have some big goals for yourself. We'll talk about that right after this.

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[Joel]

There's also Aria, an AI agent available to answer questions or help complete tasks. And here's what makes it even better. Aria doesn't just live in a chat box. You can click anywhere on your site and ask her to make changes instantly. It's these details that make creating with WIX Harmony feel seamless.

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[Joel]

always wanted to take a spontaneous trip to the Caribbean. Here's the thing. If you get smart with your money, you can do things like that. With Empower, you can start making the most of your money so you can go out and live a little. Isn't that why we work so hard to have some fun with our money? Like treating yourself to something special or

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

spontaneously doing something extra for a loved one? Use Empower and get good at money so you can be a little bad. Join their 20 million customers [e-mail] not an Empower client, paid or sponsored. Is it just me or is it getting really hard to figure out the best way to save for retirement? Well, Fidelity can help you to find clarity so you can save the best way for you. With a free personalized plan, goal tracking and timely insights, you'll be set to take on retirement your way.

[Joel]

Get [e-mail] future expenses charged by your investments and other costs and fees associated with trading or transacting in your account. Apply Fidelity Brokerage Services member NYSE SIPC all right, we're back from the break. Still talking with Nia Bairoju and talking about college and scholarships and making the most of your college experience. Nia College obviously we talked about this. Everybody knows this. It's crazy expensive and there is, I think, a push in many corners. There's like a nihilistic push towards college. Like, who cares? Why should I even do it anymore? We're actually seeing, I think Certain segments of the population just be less interested in college in general. And in some ways I totally get it right when you mentioned that the headline number of what it would have cost for you to go to school apart from scholarships would have been $250,000. People hear that and they say, I'd rather like not take on the debt, get started working earlier. Even if it means I'm making less. I've got at least I'm not gonna have that debt hanging over my head. So how do you help people think about the trade off between the price of college and the value that you get for getting a college degree in 2026?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, first that's a fair point. Like college is not for everyone and if you know specifically that college is not for you, don't try and force yourself into it and waste like tens of thousands on something that you really don't need. So I think if you know school that nah, I don't want to do this. Or if you're not sure in high school, then that's when I would focus on community college first. Or actually going to get a job, a certificate of some type and getting experience that way. Even, you know, trade programs, trade degrees like welding, cosmetology. There's a lot of different things that you can do. But I will always be a proponent of like a four year degree because of all the experience that I got and what it opened up my eyes to. Like for example, I know in the alumni network you get access to, I know alumni who sold their companies for like 30 to 50 million dollars that I've met at college. And I would have never met these people or been introduced to these networks or this way of thinking if it were not for college. Now the only way I think it makes sense is if you can get your costs, like low to no cost or like, you know, that internships are going to help you pay it off. That's in like a clear strategy and a clear plan. That's what I would say. College is worth it and you can actually maximize your time and experience with that. But there are several ways to reduce your cost of college so you can still get that benefit in the long run.

[Joel]

So the price matters because that influences the value. What about the actual degree, the specific degree? You were a chemistry major if I'm correct. So what about the degree that you get? Because certain degrees are more valuable than others these days.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, I love stem. I've always been a science and math person. Really hated English and history, so that's what I decided to major in but event job like, or even majors like communications, business, marketing. While I don't think they're necessary all the time, like say, for example, you wanted to be like a social media manager. You could just be a social media manager. You could just be an entrepreneur. But even in the tech space, like, because AI is so popular, I just actually made a video about this. There are jobs like product specialists and product marketers and like whatever technology evangelists. Like, you need people who have that, you know, soft skill brain for some of these technical roles. And college degrees are often requirements to get these larger roles. So even if you're not super like I want to be a doctor or I want to be a lawyer, you can still use your major in an industry that you would not think would apply to you.

[Joel]

That's wise. I like that. Okay, so you're talking to a lot of folks on this podcast who would love to go back in time and use the scholarship process the way you did. They're like, dang it, man. If I had just been looking for scholarships 15, 20 years ago when I was going to school, but they've already got their degree, right, and they've got the debt to prove it. What advice do you have for folks navigating student loan repayment while they're saving and investing for the future? The headline, you know, student loan debt number not good. And there's obviously been a big, huge tug of war back and forth on student loan policy and it's become less generous. Payback terms have become less generous for a lot of, for a lot of borrowers. So what would your advice be to them?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, I know it's not easy when you already have those, those debt numbers. And I think community is really, really important. And listening to podcasts like yours, where experts do come in, they give advice and you learn something new. I, I'm a Gen Z year. I love a good social media platform. So Instagram. I know there's a couple of creators who I follow who are always giving t how to help pay off some of your debt or what types of programs you can apply for, how to consolidate. Like, I know if you're in education there's ways to, to go about that. So I would say community is what you're going to rely on and like, you're not alone. Like, I have a good friend who went to like professional 4 year school who they're going to be in a lot of debt. But again, there's a community of people who also went to that professional school and are in the same amount of debt and they're helping each other out, giving each other tips, and sometimes they're just there to listen when you need to vent and cry. So I think community is something that I would highly suggest anyone who already is in that situation to rely on and continue to build.

[Joel]

So your goal, you wanted to buy a home by 21, you totally and utterly failed at that mission. Nia, you didn't get until you're 22. I know, sorry about that. But by 30, you want to be well on your way to becoming a millionaire. You want to at least have a million dollar net worth by then, right? What, why is that the goal? What's it going to take for you to get there?

[Nia Bayaroju]

That was the goal for me. You know, funny enough, my original goal before I graduated college was a quarter million, and then I ended up hitting 100k. So even if I don't hit a million, like, and I hit 750, I'll take it. And I think you have to be very aggressive about what it is that you want and like, make it known in order to achieve it. So something about that 30, you know, when I talk about how I just got married and, you know, building a family, having kids, moving, all that other fun stuff, I don't want to do that until I'm in my 30s. And I want to be in a secure, in a financial position. Of course, you know, God willing it works out that way, then I will be able to have the opportunity to explore and like, things like motherhood or doing all the other passions that I would like to have.

[Joel]

Okay, you said be aggressive, have an aggressive goal and make it known. What. What do you mean by make it known? And how is that powerful?

[Nia Bayaroju]

Make it known. I'm very heavy on my faith, so I pray about it, like, okay, Lord, what do you want? What do you want for me to do? And then how can I do it? You have to speak these things. And then I also made a video about it when I wanted to, like, work other brands, get on different podcasts, ex explore by brand's mission, and bring it to more schools and more universities. And because I made that known, I've been able to talk at different high schools, have your podcast, and you have like millions of followers. And that's why I say make it known. If sometimes you don't, like people don't know how to help you because you don't know how to ask for it. And that's when I say make it known. It's like reaching out to Your network. I've been able to be on tv. My, my dream publication is Good Morning America. So if anyone listening knows how to get in touch with Robin Roberts, let me. But if I don't say that, then there's no way I'm going to get that.

[Joel]

Yeah, I think you're right. And I think sometimes just there is a level of disbelief in our own abilities or in our abilities to accomplish something that is a self fulfilling prophecy. So there's somewhere in between. I know some people are like, if you believe it, you can achieve it. And I think, I don't know, man, there's probably a lot of things I could want to believe that I wouldn't be able to achieve. But then there's also something about saying it out loud and believing in yourself and setting high standards and goals where you're much more likely to achieve them. So Nia, I think you're gonna achieve this goal. I think you're awesome. Thank you so much for joining me today on the podcast.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Thanks for having me.

[Joel]

Oh man, it's always fun to talk to someone who is such a self starter, such a go getter, has accomplished so much yet is still 20 years younger than I am and just so much like she's already accomplished and then so much potential. So Nia, such a fun person to talk to and I guess if I'm coming up with my big takeaway from this conversation, I love how she talked about getting okay with rejection and there's just a certain amount of like, I'm going to try this out and see what happens and if they tell me no, that's okay, or if they just flat out say you're rejected, that's okay, I can hang with it. She's still upset with Coca Cola about that tonight's scholarship, but she applied to over 100 scholarships. She said she just, just cast her net wide and she knew that if she cast her net wide that there were going to be a lot of scholarships she didn't get. But I guarantee you there were some scholarships where she applied and she was like, yeah, slim chance, I'm going to get this one. And then she got it. And so if you're not okay with a certain amount of rejection, got to kind of steal your resolve, I guess and say if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But the fact that she did it anyway, she gave it a shot. She applied for internship, right. Or jobs, saying, well, I don't quite hit all the metrics but I think I could still do A great job in this role, they'd be lucky to have me. I'm gonna apply and see what happens. And at least I'm gonna get an interview. At least I'm gonna make a connection there. And I think that's just kind of an underutilized path for a lot of people, whether you're applying for scholarships, whether you're applying for jobs. She said, apply even if you don't qualify. And I just think that's a good phrase to take away. So whether you're in the job market right now, trying to figure out, find something that's better paying for you, just better hours, better work, life balance for you and your family, apply. Even if it feels like you don't quite meet the metrics, you just never know. And you know what, you might be interviewing against someone who's more qualified on paper than you. And then they're like, but this person's so much better. Like, they're a better fit for our culture. And so you just, you don't know unless you try. And then at the end too just. I love how she talked about being aggressive, making it known. Sometimes, sometimes just publicly admitting what it is that we hope to achieve can have a big impact on somebody else or it can keep us accountable. Right. Like, I've heard of people saying, hey, I'm going to train to run a marathon this year. They put that out there on social media in January. And then by like, it just means people are going to start asking you questions about that. Hey, how's that going? Right. They're going to be talking to you in May and they're going to say, tell me more about that goal. Like, how far along are you? When are you running your race? And that's knowing that people are going to ask you questions, knowing that people are going to hold you accountable can be a great way to kind of keep you on the straight and narrow, going after the goal you've set for yourself. So I think those are super helpful tips. And if you've got a student who's sophomore year in high school, I've even heard NIA say before that apparently you can even apply for scholarships when your kids are in elementary school, which, I don't know, maybe, probably too young to start. But if your kids are in high school, and I mean, yeah, find an incentive, find a way to get them to apply because it's going to save them from student loans and it's going to really, it's going to make a big difference in their financial future, even if they just qualify or snag a few scholarships that reduce the cost. It just means less overall debt and higher value you get from that college education. So thanks as always for listening. We'll have links to some of the resources we mentioned, including Nia's website up in the show [e-mail] until next time. Best Friend Out.

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[Joel]

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[Joel]

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[Nia Bayaroju]

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[Joel]

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[Joel]

and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Hey everyone. Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Joel]

Oh no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Joel]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Nia Bayaroju]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.