In honor of Black History Month, Google hosted a
Pay It Forward Challenge to recognize Black student leaders who are advancing opportunities for their local communities. We ended up receiving so may great submissions that we decided to make this a three-part blog series. This is the final piece. We’re excited to share the work of the students below and hope you’ll be inspired by their stories.
ICYMI, be sure to check out
Part 1 and
Part 2 of this post.
Ayoola John-Muyiwa
While studying at the
University of Houston, Ayoola founded an online learning community for Black millennials,
Blademy. Blademy helps ambitious Black millennials develop new skills in technology, media, finance, business and entrepreneurship.
"It became apparent to me that my community has been unable to benefit significantly from the burgeoning innovation economy. I was doing my part by helping a handful of people every week, but I needed to help them at scale to disrupt the current trend in economic opportunity disparity. Today, growing at 50% month-over-month, Blademy reaches over 400,000 millennials monthly with instructional content. The company was also recently accepted into the
Google Cloud for Startups Program. In 2019, I hope to reach more millennials of color with instructional content and continue to inspire more young people to prioritize solving problems in their communities.”
Ayoola's advice to others:
“As long as there is one person out there who can benefit from your talents and ideas, I strongly encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and start solving problems you care about. Besides, if you choose to ignore the problems in your own community, why should outsiders care? Just start!”
Ashley Fox & DeAndrea Staes
During their second year of studies at
McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, Ashley and DeAndrea saw an opportunity to promote diversity and inclusion in their MBA program and larger Austin community. They founded the
Elevate Diversity & Inclusion Conference and used 100% of the proceeds to create a scholarship to support underrepresented candidates at The University of Texas.
"Beyond actively participating in student organizations to promote diversity at McCombs, we decided to create a sustainable, long-term solution that would provide an annual forum for the University of Texas and Austin community to engage and learn about diversity, culture, and community. The Elevate Diversity & Inclusion Conference at McCombs was held February 8, 2019 and educated attendees on the impact, challenges, and future of diversity and inclusion for business. Attendees heard from distinguished speakers at Google, PepsiCo, Dell, Cross Culture Ventures, Kapor Capital and more. We hosted panel discussions on inclusion and innovation in tech, minority and women funding needs in venture capital and the importance of diverse talent having a seat at the table. Attendees left with concrete leadership strategies and tools that will advance the inclusion agenda across all spectrums."
Ashley & DeAndrea's advice to others:
“Think big. Big beyond what you imagine lies in the realm of possibility. Believe in yourself and then think BIGGER.”
Edward Mancho
Motivated by his own experience with imposter syndrome during his sophomore year in college, Edward created a student organization,
Code: Black, at
The University of Maryland, College Park catering specifically to minorities in tech. Since it's creation Code: Black has now grown to over 100 members.
"The first year was a tough one because I had no experience in creating and running an organization, so it was a lot of trial and error to the point where I had to get the help of my friends. Once I had my friends on the executive board, the organization was able to grow. The Computer Science department flew us out to
AfroTech. We've had companies sponsor and give tech talks to our members. We teach elementary school kids how to code. Through Code: Black, we've created a community, given people opportunities to get internships, and created workshops to better prep our members for the outside world. This is just the beginning."
Edward's advice to others:
“Seeking a problem to solve is easy but taking action is the hardest part. Despite the notion, this shouldn't discourage you because every big, impactful movement has started as an idea.”
Oluchi Chukwunyere
Oluchi is currently a student at
North Carolina A&T State University and the co-owner of
Janet Hope Alive, a non profit organization that equips Nigerian citizens with programing and entrepreneurship skills through hands-on programs and mentorship.
“We aim to increase the quality of life for our students and increase Nigeria’s economic stability. Last year we were able to graduate over 400 students. That's over 400 students whose lives have been changed through our program and now the chairman of the community wants to adopt our program in twelve of his vocational schools. We’re bringing hope back to Nigeria."
Oluchi's advice to others:
“Never let your gifts and talents take you to a place where your character can't sustain you. Always remember it’s about the people. It’s always about the people. Always remember your 'why' so when greed and fame come, you remain grounded in your passion”
Charles Arday
Charles is currently a student at
Illinois College. With his passion for public speaking and motivating others to achieve their goals, he created
The Millennial Podcast, where he addresses topics in the millennial community including finding your passion. He is also the co-founder of
Students of LinkedIn — a community with a mission to educate and encourage people from all walks of life to share their stories, build their personal brand, and get their dream internships/jobs. Charles has spoken at multiple events on the topics of digital literacy, collaborative thinking, and mentorship.
“My experiences and interactions with other college students made me realize that issues such as depression and not knowing your passion are problems many of us are faced with — so I began releasing weekly podcasts and videos to equip millennials with resources and tools to address these issues. I am passionate about educating, motivating and exposing my peers to the field of STEM and the limitless opportunities in the world."
Charles' advice to others:
“Everyone can make an impact no matter where they find themselves. Three things that have been with me since I started all my initiatives include know your why, be persistent, and just do it."
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