Today we’d like to introduce you to Sanvi Porwal.
Hi Sanvi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi! My name is Sanvi, and I am the founder of the nonprofit organization EmpowerEd-Fi, a literacy initiative dedicated to making financial and digital literacy skills more accessible and applicable for individuals.
In high school, I noticed that many of the crucial skills people rely on every day (understanding credit, evaluating online information, protecting personal data, and making informed financial decisions) are rarely taught in traditional classrooms. As I began learning more about these topics myself, I realized how important this knowledge is and how overwhelming it can feel to individuals encountering it for the first time. This inspired my interest in closing the accessibility gap, and I began creating educational resources to translate complex financial concepts into tools people can use in their daily lives.
During one of our early outreach efforts, I worked with a senior citizen who had received a message claiming to be from their bank, asking them to transfer money. They were unsure how to verify its legitimacy and were close to responding. As we walked through steps, such as checking the sender, identifying phishing language, and confirming directly with the bank, I realized how vulnerable everyday situations can be without digital awareness. Experiences like these further reinforced the importance of prevention; the goal isn’t simply to share information, it is to help people feel confident enough to use that information in situations when it matters most.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest challenges has been creating resources for such diverse groups of people. Building programs for a wide audience range has required an understanding of different levels of access, confidence, and life experiences. What resonates with a middle school student may not be helpful for, say, an older adult, and I have noticed that not everyone approaches financial and digital topics with the same level of familiarity or confidence. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, I have needed to continuously adapt our workshops to create spaces where participants feel comfortable asking questions and engaging in discussion. This required being very intentional in what language and examples I choose, and the way information is presented to accurately target each audience and allow everyone to engage in our workshops meaningfully.
In addition, both the financial landscape and the digital world we interact with are constantly shifting. As an educational nonprofit, we have continuously needed to pivot our curriculum to better fit the needs of the community. New developments in AI, increasingly sophisticated online scams, changing social media trends, or shifts in personal finance practices can quickly make information outdated, and so we have had to remain proactive in updating our materials.
As you know, we’re big fans of EmpowerEd-Fi. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
EmpowerEd-Fi is a youth-led nonprofit organization based in Plano, Texas, that provides individuals with strategic financial and digital education. In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to achieve financial and digital independence is crucial. We create resources in collaboration with our volunteer team and industry professionals, ensuring that we provide relevant and accurate information to all of our audiences.
We have worked with students of all ages, families, senior citizens, and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), tailoring each of our workshops to the unique needs of our audiences. Over the past 2 years, we have reached over 700 individuals through over 50 programs at schools and community centers. Additionally, we have partnered with more than 15 nonprofit community organizations across North Texas, introducing us to individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and expanding the reach of our programming. At present, we are working on expansion, developing multilingual resource libraries that can be implemented at scale as part of our workshops in schools and community organizations.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
A large part of this work belongs to our workshop members! Working alongside individuals in our workshop audiences, from students to senior citizens, has been one of the most rewarding parts of this experience. Their curiosity and willingness to participate have created such collaborative environments in our workshops, and it is because of them that I have been able to grow this initiative. Many of our most meaningful improvements and program enhancements have come directly from conversations with the people we serve. I would also like to recognize our community partners, who have played a key role in shaping EmpowerEd-Fi and in strengthening our workshops in ways we couldn’t have done alone. It is through their perspectives and feedback that we have been able to continuously improve our resources to ensure they remain engaging, practical, and relevant.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://empoweredfi.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredfi/
- Other: Team Form: https://forms.gle/Y7YYLpW5jCmbmQ2r8
