Meet Gabriella Carter, a 22-year-old woman from New York City who graduated debt-free from Princeton University and now teaches others how to achieve financial success through scholarships and smart money management.
Gabriella, who was born in Jamaica before moving to London and then Florida, has always had a strong foundation in financial literacy instilled by her parents. As a hardworking student-athlete in high school, she decided to apply for several scholarships.
“Once I figured out that there’s free money out there that other people could give to me because they believed in me and my dreams so that I could go to school for free, I jumped on it and applied to every opportunity that I saw,” she told CNBC.
Her determination paid off as she won 35 different scholarship awards totaling over $2 million, enough to graduate without debt from Princeton University in 2022. She even had over $100,000 left in her savings. But her success didn’t stop there.
While studying college, Gabriella shared her experiences on social media, realizing she could help others while also turning her expertise into a profitable endeavor. In 2020, she launched her brand called “Growing With Gabby” on both Instagram and TikTok where she earned $177,000 in 2022 and has expectations of reaching $300,000 in 2023.
Right after graduating from Princeton, she had a full-time job as a marketing analyst. Yet her side hustle was becoming increasingly lucrative. This year, she was able to quit her full-time job to focus on Growing With Gabby.
Now, Gabriella aims to be financially responsible, emphasizing saving and investing for the future. She maintains a frugal lifestyle, paying herself first and using discounts to make the most of her money. Her goal is to invest in real estate and retire early, without giving up on her creative pursuits, possibly even writing a book during early retirement.
“For me, abundance is having financial freedom,” she says. “That doesn’t mean I have to be a billionaire or the richest person, but it means that I don’t have to wake up and work every day or do something I don’t want to do for the sake of having enough money.”