Gateway To Our Future

My thirst for finding purpose in my life was not quenched upon my graduation from The Miami School of Business. Most of my friends went on to start their careers, however, I was not ready to take that leap into what I thought was the real world just yet. I decided to take time before committing my life to a financial institution to travel and try once more to find the purpose that seemed to escape me. I had just enough graduation money saved up for a ticket to The Gambia, East Africa. My older brother had visited this country on a mission trip and returned with a plethora of memories to share. Since then, I have wanted to visit for myself and experience a world outside of Ohio. Without having any real responsibilities, I booked my tickets, arranged to get all my necessary vaccinations and packed my bags in preparation for my trip to The Gambia. On the day of my departure, my older brother entered my room and handed me a small black notebook. He informed me that inside this mysterious notebook was a gateway to my future. I didn’t think anything of it at first, so I thanked him unceremoniously, quickly tucked the notebook into my backpack and hugged him goodbye. After bidding my family farewell, I got into my Uber and left to the airport.

“The seatbelt light has been turned off, and you may now move around the cabin,” the flight attendant instructed over the airplane intercom. The elderly woman next to me slowly stood up and walked to the back of the plane towards the bathroom. I looked around at the other passengers, searching for ideas to help get me through the next twenty-three hours. I had already read through the emergency direction pamphlets, twice, and needed other forms of entertainment. That’s when I remembered the cryptic black book my brother gave me. I stood up and opened the overhead compartment, found my backpack and pulled out the notebook. I quickly took my seat before the elderly woman returned and opened the first page of the tattered book that was clearly missing more than a few pages.

Carefully flipping to the first page, I read: “In life, you will open many doors that lead to financial opportunities, but only a few of those doors will lead to contentment. Happy graduation! Love, your big brother.”

“What an ambiguous quote,” I thought to myself. I continued to flip through the worn, empty, pages until I got to a page titled, “LOGIN”. Below the title, I read:

Step 1: Download the phone application called, “EasyVest”. It’s an easy app for quick stock market trading.

Step 2: Once you’ve downloaded the app, you will need the following login information. Use your full name for the username, with no spaces. The password is your date of birth, followed by the capital letters SBN.

Step 3: Start your trading journey.

Throughout this notebook, I’ve included tips and tricks to help you invest in stocks with huge upside potential. Follow my tips and you will find yourself financially independent. Enjoy little brother!

I quickly scrambled for my phone, only to learn that I couldn’t download the application because I had no Wi-Fi and my phone had to remain on airplane mode during the flight. I was so excited, I felt like I had embarked on a wild goose hunt with all the directions and hidden notes. Now, the flight would feel like it was dragging on forever. In the meantime, I decided to continue reading through the notebook to familiarize myself with my brother’s words.

Bullish on this stock, bearish on that, market rally, short sell, calls and puts.

It was as if I was back in university sitting through one of my investment management lectures. My brother had written out a manual of Stock Market jargon with their definitions for my reference. I skimmed through the next few pages, which seemed to be trade amounts with corresponding dates that my brother had made. I stumbled upon a page titled “Stock Picks” which had over twenty companies and their tickers listed below. The first company, Ugeat with ticker symbol, UGT, engaged in the manufacture design and sale of direct current power systems. The next company was a renewable energy company that donates a percentage of proceeds to underprivileged households. The one after that was a solar power company, which focuses on distribution in developing countries. The farther along I read, the more I realized what these companies had in common. All the listed companies were eco-friendly and had some sort of social mission connected to their cause. I was intrigued.

By the time the plane landed, I was clenching on to the last remaining shred of patience I had. Once the passengers began to exit the plane, I forgot all sense of manners, pushed my way past the flight attendants and raced to baggage claim. I found an empty bench next to the rotating conveyer belt and sat down to connect to the airport Wi-Fi. One bar, two bars, three… “Welcome to The Gambia International Airport Wi-Fi,” a greeting came across my screen. I swiped it away and continued to download the EasyVest app. I typed in my name as the username and followed it with the password my brother had instructed me to use. A few seconds later, I was in. I navigated through the profile which seemed to already be personally setup for me. I clicked on my portfolio and thought I was surely seeing a glitch in the app. I closed out of the app and reloaded it to find that it was no mistake. There it was, sitting in my account, a whopping $20,000 worth of stocks that I could liquidate at any given moment and simply cash out. In shock, I shut off my screen to process what I had just seen. A stranger nudged me, interrupting my trance to point out my suitcase, which was the only remaining bag on the conveyer belt. I nodded at him and walked over to pick up my luggage.

As I reached for my bag, I caught a glimpse of a bright sign welcoming me to the country of The Gambia, and I realized I was so entranced by my brother’s gift that I had neglected this whole new world. I walked outside and took a deep breath of the dry and fresh air, surveyed the landscape and looked around at the people. I was excited for my adventure but could not ignore the money I had wrapped up in stocks. More than ever, my interest grew in the small black notebook weighing down my backpack. I pulled it back out and went back through the pages, more carefully this time, to see if I had missed a vital page detailing information regarding the money I was given but found nothing. Right before giving up, I flipped again to the last page of the book and saw a short message that said, “Look up Daniel, at Banjul City Village Farm.”

Having no itinerary, I happily obeyed the cryptic notes’ command and called a taxi to Banjul City. I stared out the window during my transit to see a world so different than what I had imagined. One minute, we were driving past a beach and palm trees, and the next, we were surrounded by a sea of dirt and heavily concentrated traffic. During the commute, the taxi driver and I conversed about the living conditions and country’s economics. He informed me of one of the main problems driving the growing poverty levels, which was inadequate agricultural proficiency. I began to refer back to the list of companies written in the small black notebook titled, “Stock Picks” and tried making a connection until the car stopped suddenly. “We have arrived.” the taxi driver said to me.

Looking outside, I found the Village Farm to hardly resemble a farm at all. I thanked the driver, turned away and began to walk down a dusty dirt road leading to a wooden hut. As I walked towards the entrance, I could see small vegetable gardens in my peripherals, but remained focused on the mysterious door. I stopped at the door, hesitated, and began reflecting back on the last 24 hours, which all seemed like a dream. Bringing myself back to reality, I lifted my hand up, swallowed nervously and knocked twice.

A tall, dark-skinned, middle-aged man opened the door. It was evident from looking at his face that he tended to the Village Farm himself. His kind eyes bore into my own, inviting me in and instantly putting me at ease. We stared at each other for a few moments before I introduced myself. He knew my brother and recognized the resemblance we shared. Immediately, he pulled me into a strong embrace and began telling me stories he had shared with my older brother. I felt comfortable enough to ask Daniel for a tour of the farm, and he kindly agreed. A few minutes into our tour, I was learning so much about Daniel: he was a social entrepreneur and philanthropist; he established one of the first Horticulture Gardens in The Gambia that helps feed many families in the area; he hires local farmers to help tend to the land and uses the proceeds from the garden to reinvest into his community. He had hoped to be able to expand his garden to reach more families, however he was limited in resources due to relying on a single well to irrigate the entire farm. Daniel had a heart of gold and he dedicated his life to serving his people, regardless of the struggles he faced on a day-to-day basis and the economic obstacles surrounding him. He was a man who knew what his purpose was, and I could not help but envy him for it.

Daniel kindly invited me to stay with him during my trip. At first, I felt nervous about the proposition, but then realized that my journey had ultimately led me to his doorstep, so I agreed. That night I lay restlessly on a slightly elevated cot that was only a little more comfortable than the ground must have been, thinking about the $20,000 my brother had given me, Daniel’s Horticulture Garden, all the people Daniel was helping and the events that landed me here. At that moment, I had never felt so lost. The entire reason I chose not to pursue a job straight out of graduation was so that I could broaden my horizons and find my place in this world. The more I thought about Daniel and how impactful his life was, the less I thought of my own. I began to feel homesick, so I picked up my phone to call my family and accidentally clicked on the EasyVest app instead. I squinted at my bright screen, once again completely entranced by the dollar amount in my portfolio, when it hit me. My brother’s words finally began to make sense, “Inside this notebook is a gateway to your future.” At first, I thought he meant the money, however, I figured the true gateway was what I was going to do with the money that dictated my future. The pieces began to fall into place like a perfectly curated puzzle. I would help Daniel build more wells on his land in order to irrigate the land that would, in turn, help his garden grow and benefit more people in The Gambia. My brother had invested in only eco-friendly companies with mission statements geared towards helping the less fortunate. He gave me the money and sent me looking for Daniel, who dedicated his life to philanthropy. This was the path that my brother intended for me. Without giving it a second thought, I tapped on the “account settings” page and scrolled down to the “bank information” tab. Without a moment of hesitation, I clicked “transfer funds”.