Rooted Cash Podcast

Final Reflections with Kyla

Rooted School — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 13:05:10 -0700

In this final episode, DJ Flip-Phone checks in with Kyla as she reflects on her journey with the $50 Study. Since graduating high school, Kyla has moved to Richmond, Virginia, started her first job, and stepped into a new chapter of independence.

Kyla shares the lessons she’ll carry for life, how the $50 Study shaped her mindset about money, and how it empowered her to make choices about her future. She also reflects on the importance of responsibility, independence, and the value of investing in young people.

A huge thank you to Kyla for being so open, honest, and positive in sharing her story — and to the Rooted Cash Foundation for making this podcast possible and continuing to invest in New Orleans youth, fifty dollars at a time.

Listen in for an inspiring, honest, and uplifting conclusion to Kyla’s journey on the Rooted Cash Podcast.

"You Can't Learn to Save Money Unless You Have It to Save"

Rooted School — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 12:12:17 -0700

For Episode 5, Kyla reconnects with Vernell—the original host of the Rooted podcast and one of the first students in the $50 Study.

They talk candidly about how receiving $50 a week shaped their views on independence, responsibility, and financial literacy. From side hustles like candle-making and T-shirts to real talk about how cash transfers build confidence, this episode explores how money is more than just survival—it’s a tool for growth, self-worth, and future planning.

Whether you’re figuring out how to open your first bank account or thinking big about economic justice, Kyla and Vernell remind us that youth deserve space to learn, grow, and dream—with support that’s rooted in trust.

Learn More + Stay Connected
💻 www.rootedschool.org
📱 Follow us on Instagram: @the50dollarstudy
⭐ Like and subscribe to the Rooted Cash Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

"Trust Young People to Know What They Need."

Rooted School — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:59:42 -0700

In this episode of the Rooted Cash podcast, Be Loud Junior Producer Kyla sits down with Talia Livneh, program director at the Rooted Foundation and leader of the $50 Study — a direct cash transfer program providing $50 a week to high school students across New Orleans.

T
heir conversation explores how the program began during the pandemic as a response to students needing financial support to stay engaged in school, and how it has since grown to serve over 400 youth. Talia shares stories of students using their weekly transfers to cover basic needs, support family, apply to college, and even launch small businesses.

Kyla reflects on her own experience in the program — from buying prom essentials and birthday gifts to learning what financial freedom and responsibility really mean. Together, they push back against the myth that young people can't be trusted with money, offering firsthand stories and real data that show the opposite.

About the $50 Study:
Led by the Rooted School Foundation, this initiative gives young people $50 a week to explore budgeting, responsibility, and the real impact of financial access. Follow @50dollarstudy on Instagram and visit rootedschoolfoundation.org to learn more about the program and how it’s supporting youth across New Orleans.

"Money Is Never Enough"

Rooted School — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:43:32 -0700

In this heartfelt episode, Kyla sits down with her big sister for a powerful, personal conversation about money, boundaries, sacrifice, and sisterhood. Listen in as two sisters connect across generations to talk money, mental health, and what it means to grow up without losing yourself.

Sponsored by the Rooted School Foundation as part of the $50 Study, the episode explores how financial experiences shape each sister’s path—one juggling motherhood, grad school, and teaching, and the other finishing high school and dreaming big.

Together, they reflect on the lessons they’ve learned, the pressure to provide, and the importance of choosing yourself without guilt. It’s a raw, honest, and loving exchange that reminds us how family can be both a mirror and a map.

"Wait, This Feels Different"

Be Loud Studios — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:19:14 -0700

Meet Kyla — an 18-year-old senior at New Harmony High School and your host of the Rooted Cash Podcast 🎙️

For episode 2, Kyla shares what it felt like to get $50 a week—no strings attached.

From sushi runs to her fear of asking for help, she talks money, adulthood, and what it means to grow up without everything you need—and why equity matters now more than ever.

This is all part of the $50 Study, a powerful initiative by the Rooted School Foundation that gives young people weekly cash to explore what financial freedom means to them.

“Maximalist to the Top”

Be Loud Studios — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:56:35 -0700

Hosted by the vibrant and insightful Kyla, a senior at New Harmony High, this episode is part of the $50 Study — a direct-cash transfer program by the Rooted School Foundation that puts real money in the hands of young people.

For episode 1, Kyla takes us inside her world — from navigating the highs and lows of high school to chasing her dreams of real estate and creative directing. She shares what it's like to love fashion and TikTok shopping while juggling a strict weekly budget of $50, and opens up about the real fear of financial instability, her hopes for college, and the generational pressure to avoid burnout in a 9-to-5 grind.

Tune in to hear Kyla’s story — and listen to money, youth, and what it means to pursue financial freedom.

About the $50 Study:
The $50 Study provides unconditional cash transfers of $50 per week with wraparound supports for 800 New Orleans high school seniors. They then track its long-term impacts on their academic success, financial capability, and self-perception for four years following high school graduation. It is the first and largest study of its kind.

#RootedCashPodcast #RootedSchoolFoundation #YouthVoices #FinancialLiteracy #GenZMoneyMatters #KylaTellsItLikeItIs

Time for Trial and Error- Interview with Kanye from Rooted New Orleans

Rooted School — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 08:15:08 -0800

For this final episode, Dj Villian sat down with Kanye, a junior at Rooted School in New Orleans. They talked about how much Kanye grew over this last year, learning how to better manage his money and use the weekly stipends to help the people around him. This is the last episode of season 2 and we have a big announcement! The $50 Study received a grant from the City of New Orleans to scale this project even bigger next school year. What started out as only 20 initial students will become a city wide project that includes 800 high school seniors from all over New Orleans.

Big shout out to Rooted School for making this all possible and thanks to YOU for listening to these stories. Remember to follow us on IG @the50dollarstudy to catch up on what happens next.

3D Prototype- Interview with Freddie from Rooted New Orleans

Rooted School — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 08:06:47 -0800

This episode, DJ Villian interviewed Freddie, an ambitious Senior from Rooted New Orleans who learned everything possible about 3D design and printing. This last year, Freddie used the money from the $50 Study to prototype a top secret design for his own product. With the help of the $50 Dollar Study, he used that prototype to test his idea and continue to develop it over his Senior year.

Thanks again for listening and don't forget to follow @the50dollarstudy on Instagram

Afford to Have Fun- Interview with Payton from Rooted New Orleans

Rooted School — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 09:32:49 -0700

We went to Rooted New Orleans to sit down (in person!) with students about their experience so far with the $50 Study.

Peyton is a recent graduate at Rooted New Orleans with a passion for environmental justice and journalism. Peyton and Vernell cover a wide range of positive topics, reflecting on how Peyton has used the $50 to double down on self-care, invest in black-owned businesses, and even save up for her driver's license. Peyton graduated in the spring and it was awesome to reconnect to hear about her big plans for the next year.

Don't forget to follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we will be sharing pictures, videos, and reflections on this study from the Rooted Community.

Impulse Spending- Interview with Ethan from Rooted New Orleans

Rooted School — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 09:23:02 -0700

We went to Rooted New Orleans to sit down (in person!) with students about their experience so far with the $50 Study. Ethan is a senior at Rooted that loves video game design. He talks about how this study has helped him better understand "impulse spending" and how he is learning how to better save to reach his larger goals.

Don't forget to follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we will be sharing pictures, videos, and reflections on this study from the Rooted Community.

How to Move with Money- Interview with Nyarian from Rooted Indianapolis

Rooted School — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:59:23 -0700

To better understand how the $50 study is impacting the Rooted community in Indianapolis, we interviewed Nyarian. Nyarian is an aspiring pediatricians that loves to work with kids. She shared with how the money helped support her family and pay for her long list of extracurriculars and sports.

Don't forget to follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we will be sharing pictures, videos, and reflections on this study from the Rooted Community.

A Job for Just Being Alive- Interview with Caleb from Rooted Indianapolis

Rooted School — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:12:16 -0700

For the next few episodes, we will interview students from Indianapolis Rooted. This episode, we talked to Caleb, a senior from Rooted Indy and an aspiring film maker. Although initially skeptical of the study, he shares how the money has changed his impacted his life and relationship to money.

If you want to follow us on social media, follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we will be sharing pictures, videos, and reflections on this study from the Rooted Community.

The Subconscious Stress- Interview with La'Nyah from Rooted Indianapolis

Rooted School — Thu, 25 May 2023 09:03:36 -0700

We talked with La'Nyah, an impressive junior from Rooted Indianapolis. La'Nyah is a creative entrepreneur starting her own photography business while also juggling a ton of different hobbies and hustles. We talked about how this study has given her he opportunity to launch her business and support her siblings at home.

The Land of Corn and Cold- Interview with Dwayne from Rooted Indianapolis

Rooted School — Mon, 08 May 2023 07:38:27 -0700

For the next few episodes, we will interview students from Indianapolis Rooted. First up, we talked with Dwayne, an impressive junior from Indianapolis or what he called, “the land of cold and corn”. He is an aspiring track runner, future software developer, and just an overall amazing young person. We talked about how this study has given him everything from more money to hang out with friends to a different outlook on financial discipline.

Why Trust Young People With Money

Rooted School — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 06:25:23 -0700

Back in December, we sat down with Rooted students on the first day of the “$50 Study”. They had JUST learned that they were chosen to participate and were still wrapping their head around this research, its mission, and why it exists. For this episode, we wanted to share with you their individual goals for the year ahead and their bigger dreams around “financial freedom”.

Lastly, Rooted started this study with the fundamental belief young adults can be trusted with money AND that access to cash at this earlier age might disrupt income inequality. We believe that money is a necessary tool that many students simply don’t have and we wanted to ask Rooted students why youth should be trusted with money. Listen to students explain how this study could impact their lives in big and small ways

Follow us on social media, follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There, we will be sharing pictures, videos, and reflections on this study from the Rooted Community.

The $50 Study- Meet the Students

Rooted School — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 05:55:32 -0700

AND we are back!

Rooted Schools is conducting the “$50 Study”- providing 83 Rooted students with $50 a week unconditionally, no strings attached for 40 weeks. Why? The goal see what happens when youth are given unconditional cash transfers. How will this money improve their academic performance? Social-emotional wellbeing? Professional prospects? There will be a team of scientists from University of Pennsylvania measuring their academic performance as well as conducting interviews that will explore the impact on students’ lives including: mental, physical and financial health, family relationships, personal fulfillment.

And the Rooted Cash Podcast will follow along- to record, capture, and amplify the voices and experiences behind the data points. We know that each student has an important story that reflects not only the need that drives this groundbreak study, but the potential that lies ahead.

And if you want to follow us on social media, follow us @the50dollarstudy on Instagram. There we will be sharing pictures, videos, and reflections on this study from the Rooted Community.

Podcast Trailer- What is the Rooted Cash Podcast?

Rooted School — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:17:48 -0700

Welcome to Rooted Cash Podcast. What is it? Why are we doing this? Listen to Rooted senior Vernell Cheneau break down their vision and purpose behind this podcast.

Interview with Rooted Principle- Kaitlin Karpinski

Rooted School — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:17:41 -0700

For their very first interviews, DJ Villian And DJ Bio interview Kaitlin Karpinski- the founding principle of The Rooted School in New Orleans. Their conversation covers everything from the main motivation behind the school's design to the real need for the Cash Transfer Pilot. Big shout out to "Ms. Karp" for her time to connect and reflect with us.

What is Universal Basic Income?

Rooted School — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:17:34 -0700

DJ Villian breaks down what the term "Universal Basic Income" means and the potential impact that similar policies would have for the New Orleans community and beyond.

Interview with Dr. Amy Baker and Dr. Stacia West

Rooted School — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:17:22 -0700

We “sat down” over Zoom with Dr. Amy Baker and Dr. Stacia West- the founders of The Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania. They explained the current movement behind basic income policies and how a similar study conducted in Stockton, CA influenced the design of the cash transfer pilot at Rooted.

Interview with Denzell Caldwell (Founder of NEJA)

Rooted School — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:16:58 -0700

Grateful to Denzell Caldwell of the Nashville Economic Justice Alliance (or NEJA) for making the time to share his experience organizing and advocating for fair income in Tennessee. In this interview, we talk about the many different challenges in this work and the potential impact it could have on local community.

Interview with Hassan Hassan (CEO of 4.0 Schools)

Rooted School — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:16:48 -0700

An amazing conversation with 4.0 CEO Hassan Hassan about his own personal journey and how that drives his leadership behind the cash transfer pilot. We also talked about the legend of 2pac, what it means to be financially literate, and our own dreams for the future.

Interview with Jonathan Johnson (founder and CEO of Rooted School)

Rooted School — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:16:41 -0700

We close our interviews with Jonathan Johnson- founder and CEO of Rooted School. We look back on the early days of Rooted, our upcoming graduation, and what the cash transfer pilot means for the future of our community.

Looking Back A Year Later (with Vernell, Hassan, and Jonathan)

Rooted School — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 13:00:00 -0700

One year later, we sit down (in person!) with DJ Villian, Hassan Hassan, and Jonathan Johnson. What were the major learnings from the study? How has this pilot shaped their perspective on money? What is next for the cash transfer pilot? This conversation is the perfect ending to an incredible year of growth and learning.