#FridayFollow: Get to Know AFCPE’s Newest Staff Member

My Name: Zulairam Ruiz-Agosto (pronounced zoo-lie-rum in English)

My Work: Member Services Coordinator. My role is to make sure you are all getting the best experience out of your AFCPE^® Membership.

My Roots: I was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the Bronx, NY (you’ll hear my fabulous accent soon!)

My Passion: Helping people! I got my MA in Higher Education Leadership to be a support system for students, especially students of color, and help them navigate the complexities of a system that was not designed for them. My passion for financial literacy grew from there and led me to AFCPE, as a member, an AFC^® Candidate, and as an employee. Now, I get to also help the people that love to help people. 😊

My Hero: My mami! I tell her ALL THE TIME. The amount of sacrifice she made so that my brother and I can have the best possible childhood and grow up to be the best version of ourselves is astonishing. She got her BA and her MA while raising us as a single mom and worked full time. I still want to be like her when I grow up, and I’m already in my 30s.

My Favorite Quote: I don’t have a favorite quote, but something I always go back to when I need an extra push is the poem “Don’t Quit.”

My Hobbies: These last few years I’ve turned into a gamer. So with me being a natural homebody, if I’m not watching Bobs Burgers for the 100^th time, I’m probably on the PlayStation playing Call of Duty or something else.

My Favorite Personal Finance Resource: NerdWallet has a student loan payoff calculator that helps me figure out how extra payments on my loans will impact my pay off date. I look at it time to time and dream of when that day arrives lol. I like to share it with folks I’m helping as well. It’s a great motivator to apply extra payments to your loans. Here is the link if you want to check it out! https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/student-loans-extra-payments

What led you to AFCPE? I was looking to start a financial literacy program at my last job, and someone referred me to AFCPE’s Money Management Essentials course. I took it and loved it. As I began my Financial Coach journey, I kept coming back to AFCPE due to their educational resources and their AFC designation. On top of that, their values are very much aligned with mine.

What are you most excited about in your new role? I’m excited to be part of a team that truly believes in the work that they do and the impact that it has on the community. As the Member Services Coordinator, I am looking forward to engaging with such a diverse group of members in a space where we can learn from and support each other in providing access and resources to the public.

What question do you have for the AFCPE community? What is your favorite thing about AFCPE? How has this community helped you with your personal and professional goals?