SoFi Blog

Move over, workplace yoga—the latest employee benefit du jour is financial wellness.

With Americans under extreme financial stress, a growing number of employers are adopting corporate financial wellness programs to combat the resulting absenteeism and loss of productivity. According to NPR, about half of US employers now offer these programs.

Conferences are typically filled to the brim with free stuff: fliers and posters and brochures that may or may not make it past the recycling bin on the way out. So earlier this month when we sponsored the Near Future Summit (a conference dedicated to world positive solutions), we thought, why not try something more meaningful?

We featured three SoFi members who are on a mission to change the world. Our intent: to donate $20,000 that would help them pay off their loans. In order to choose the winner, we had conference attendees vote for their favorite stories. Now, the results are in.

In celebration of International Earth Day, we spoke with SoFi member Patricia Griffin about how saving on her student loan debt allowed her to take the leap in starting her own sustainable business in Nairobi, Kenya. Read on to hear what she had to say about the importance of bringing nutrition, employment, and lasting improvements to poor communities throughout East Africa.

Adam didn’t speak until age five or six. Now, he does stand up comedy, works in health care, and volunteers with kids with special needs. His secret to success? Using the past to build his future.

It’s International Women’s Day. So we thought, why not show off some of the amazing SoFi members we are lucky enough to invest in? You heard it from us first: these women are flat out rock stars. We can’t wait to see what they do next.