Nia Long Started College Fund Before Motherhood

Nia Long's son graduated from NYU loan-free thanks to her saving long before she became a mother.

Nia Long is a proud mommy after watching her eldest son Massai Z. Dorsey II graduate from New York University loan-free thanks to her early investments into his future.

The You People actress recently opened up about how she put her eldest son through college after launching a savings account for her children before she even became a mother. Long was the guest speaker for “Money and Mindfulness: A Conversation with Nia Long,” a panel at the 2024 American Black Film Festival, where she told Ally’s Head of Money Wellness, Jack Howard, all about her values with money, Blavity reported.

“One of the things is [that] I started saving for my children before I became a mother,” she said.

“I took $3,000 and I just put in this account. I was like, I’m never touching that. And it allowed me to get my son through NYU without any student loans. And he just graduated and I’m so proud. It makes me cry, because we did it. Yes, we did it. And it was a plan. And if you put that plan into action and you just don’t waver from your ultimate goal, God will show you the way to get there. I can’t even explain it any other way. You just have to trust the process.”

Long went on to share her excitement at Massai’s graduation and how she supported his dreams, even when they didn’t fully align with her hopes for his future.

“When he walked, I was the most loud mama at that graduation,” she explained. “That was me. I was screaming. I flew my whole family to New York, and it was just amazing to see him do something that I always wanted to do, because my mother couldn’t afford to put me through school.”

“And things turned out differently for me. I left high school and I went straight to a soap opera, and then my career just kept happening,” Long continued. “I really planted the seed in him that he would graduate from NYU, even though he thought he was going to be a professional baseball player [laughs]. Which I never killed the dream, I just kept planting the seeds. Kept planting the seeds. And that’s what I think we have to do for our children to create generational wealth. But we have to do that for ourselves.”

Now with a bachelor’s degree from NYU, Massai is off to law school to become a lawyer. In the meantime, Long is teaching him early lessons on paying his own bills and to not always look to mommy for help.

“I’m trying to navigate those two things for him to feel like he can walk in any room, but for him to understand that you still have to work hard and you are Black, and you are, yes, [and] you’ll be your mom’s son, but no one cares,” she explained.

“Just go out there to make a way for yourself. It’s you have to know that balance and understand that making a way for your children is great, but don’t overindulge. Don’t spoil them. Some days it hurts my heart to be like, ‘Here’s $60, make it last for three weeks.’ He’s like, ‘Mom, I live in New York.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t care. Figure it out.’ And then I go cry.”

Long was born in Brooklyn, NY, and knows firsthand how The Big Apple can mold someone into a devoted hustler and go-getter. It’s why she wants her son to experience living in the city as he learns to navigate adulthood.

“When he comes home to visit LA, [I’m] like you need to stay in New York because if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere,” she said.

“So he’s living in Brooklyn where I’m from, so he’s learning how to make that money work, and understanding what taxes mean. Because it is a very different check.”