What does a Low Rider Exhibit and a college professor have in common?
A love to express culture. That pride inspired veteran CSUN professor Dr. Denise Sandoval, a Chicana/o Studies professor for 20 years. In our interview with her, she share her journey to academia and her passion for culture and cars. Also, check out her exhibit "Best in Low" at the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles.
Career Explorers LA to NY is a monthly webinar series with working Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) professionals from all over the country to learn how they overcame their personal and professional challenges and landed in careers they love. Two friends, Lori Lwanga and Dr. Shani Chen, both veteran educators on two different coasts, facilitate discussions with Gen Z students around overcoming emotional trauma before and after the pandemic, poverty, systemic racism in schools and the workplace and access to resources to succeed.
Kyle Chin
Scan the QR code on the flyer to join!
Meeting ID:: 882 5079 2107
Passcode: 559554
Shabaya Clark is a teacher, father, mentor, professionally trained actor, motivational speaker and founder of DramaFree Arts and Education Program. Clark has studied at The New Federal Theatre, HB studios, Rockland Community College and other various drama programs. His most notable roles include, Major Charles Moses in 'Red Tail Down' & Ron in Ressurrection'. Clark has also been featured in numerous films and music videos, most notably Corey Samford in 'Ramsey'. Clark has since dedicated his life to helping at risk youth from all over the tri-state area by using theatre to help the youth cope with everyday life issues.
Head Coach of Thrust Fencing Academy, Mika'il Sankofa is a three-time US Olympian in fencing ('84, '88, '92), Pan American Games Silver & Bronze Medalist, the first Four-Time NCAA Individual fencing Champion, a Twelve-Time National Champion, and a member of the United States Fencing Hall Of Fame.
Mika'il brings over twenty years of experience coaching and motivating youth, conducting demonstrations for schools and youth organizations as well as organizing camps and hosting large regional tournaments. He was the NBC Olympic Fencing Analyst for the 2008 Olympic Games and he has produced nationally and world ranked students who have fenced collegiately at NYU, Columbia, Penn State, U of Penn, Vassar, Ohio State and Stevens Tech.
Mika'il holds an Honors Fencing Maestro's Degree from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree from NYU.
Gregorio Labrado
Thursday, January 19th at 3:15 EST/ 12:15 PST
He is a first generation college grad from California. He has over 7+ years in the Tech Recruiting space and has worked for companies such as Meta, Uber, NTT, and Samsara.
Gregorio has a strong passion for people, networking, DEI, and creating access for the underserved and underrepresented. Greg has experience scaling teams in Technology, Sales, and all Corporate functions.
Since 2019, Darryn has served as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Rep. Karen Bass (after serving as District Director for four years in the Los Angeles office), as Bass’ principal advisor on all political and policy matters, and directs strategic planning for the office.
Throughout his career, Darryn has worked extensively on entertainment, tech, labor, higher education, and criminal justice reform issues and has served in various campaign and senior political leadership roles in Southern California.
Darryn graduated from Loyola Marymount University and UCLA. Darryn is a proud native Angelino and enjoys spending his weekend with family and friends, hiking, and listening to live music!
Los Angeles, California, United States · Chief Of Staff · U.S. House of Representatives
With nearly 20 years of local, state, federal, and political experience, Darryn uses his extraordinary talents, passion, and intellect to further his commitment for social and economic justice. By bridging the gap between the public and private sectors, Darryn facilitates bipartisan support and drives policy solutions to better the lives of individuals and the community he serves.
October's Guest Speaker: Valenciá De’La Clay-Bell🎃 ✨
Valenciá De’La Clay-Bell; author, entrepreneur and educator inspiring her students by using activism to educate !
Valenciá’s current experience as an EdD student, managing her dissertation studies with the traumatic events unfolding in her life inspired her to reform her Valenciá’s Garden blog from being a reflective educational community space, into a research-based resource hub to support creatives in growing beyond creative barriers.
Check out her insta pages: @v.d.c.b @growcerygarden
Adrienne Lucas
ADRIENNE LUCAS
Adrienne Lucas is a strategist with specialized experience working on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) and education initiatives in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She currently serves as the Global Director of DEI at The One Club for Creativity, an advertising nonprofit.
As part of her role, Adrienne partners with agencies to design and execute programs that help diverse creatives enter the advertising industry and support their professional development. One of these initiatives includes Where Are All The Black People (‘WAATBP’) an annual diversity conference & career fair. WAATBP attracts up to 3500+ attendees and 60+ sponsoring agencies and brands including:
Amazon Advertising, Best Buy, Capital One, Disney, and Mattel. Adrienne also spearheads the Creative Boot Camp initiative--a free weeklong program where college students of color create and present an advertising campaign for a real client.
Adrienne holds a J.D. from NYU Law and a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. She is passionate about the arts, civil rights, and social justice.
Incoming Bank Analyst at Goldman Sachs
Thurs. May 19th
Join us for our peer mentoring webinar with guest speaker Nnenna!
Nnenna is an Incoming Bank Analyst at Goldman Sachs and private equity intern at Resurgens Technology Partners. She is passionate about all things, Finance, Investing, and Technology!
Nnenna is constantly looking for ways to combine her interests in Finance and Technology, to create significant changes that add value to society.
You won't want to miss it... it will be the last webinar until the fall!
Scan the QR code on the flyer to join!
Thurs. April 21st
Aria is the associate marketing manager at the top selling brand, Mattel, Inc. Her latest project is all about Karma, from the Netflix series Karma’s World, executive produced by Ludacris!
Thurs. March 17th
Yanely is the creator of @MissBeHelpful YouTube Channel and Director of Educational Outreach at Next Gen Personal Finance.
Former classroom teacher, now on a mission to improve the education system by adding financial literacy and personal education as a course that all students have guaranteed access to!
Thurs. Feb. 17th
Partners and friends in all things business and media, DJ Damage and Lorenzo Robinson are making their mark in the entertainment industry on their own terms. These level headed business men are making a positive impact by creating a unique brand for themselves as both entrepreneurs and influencers and we are thrilled to share learn about their journey.
Abdul “DJ Damage” Quddas is a national radio syndicated DJ, host, and entrepreneur from Philadelphia, PA. Damage recently starred in the BET docuseries, "Arm-Chair A&R” and he currently co-hosts the Hollywood Unlocked Uncensored podcast alongside media mogul, Jason Lee.
Thurs. Jan. 20th
Shauna Kimball is a lover of all thing's education, tech, and Black culture. She is a current University Relations Program Manager for Diversity at Nike. She has had the opportunity to merge her Engineering undergraduate degree and Organizational Development MBA to become an innovative thinking, adaptable and efficient Talent Acquisition professional.
Thurs. Nov. 18th
Austin Martin loves hip hop music! But what's even better, he found the lyrics to his favorite songs are a goldmine for SAT vocabulary words. Through his research, he identified that 67 of the top 100 SAT words can be found in recognizable hip-hop songs. As a result, he started his own business Rhymes with Reason, a fun and innovative way to prep to test for the SAT and the ACT.
Among Martin's collaborators is musical artist Chance the Rapper's Social Works, a nonprofit organization helping underserved youth in the Chicago area. (Forbes.com, 2020).
Thurs. Oct. 21st
Sara Maldonado is a coordinator on the WarnerMedia Equity + Inclusion Workforce & Production team working to create the safest, most inclusive sets in the world. In her role, she supports WarnerMedia's cast and crews working on productions operating under the brands of Warner Bros., HBO, and Turner.
She is also the founder and Executive Director of Powerful Latinas Rising. She has been a lifelong advocate for the Latinx community and champion for Latina leadership and entrepreneurship. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from The New School and has earned a Master in Communication Management at the University of Southern California.
Thurs. Sept. 17th
Asha Christian, 22, is a tech entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Coilyapp. Coily is an AI-based app that enables women to easily find products, styles, and techniques that work for curly hair profiles.
She shares her journey on how she found her passion and as computer science college student at Cornell University. She is leading the charge and solving real world problems by creating an active and empowered community around beauty and hair care.
Thurs. June 15th
Everyone meet Sarahn! This amazing young woman found a way to transform her life after going through a period of unhappiness and misdirection in her high school and early college years. Then, she had an "aha" moment and "realized one day that it was my responsibility to find success and satisfaction in my life."
As a result, she invested in her wellbeing, health, and education to spread her gospel that "you can do it too." We love her entrepreneurial spirit and passion to help others. This month, she is going to share her journey and strategies behind her secret to her success and how we can apply some of that to our lives or consider a career in her field.
Thurs. May 20th
Neville King had very focused game plan when he shifted his career path interests from a sports agent to a talent agent. Living in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, he didn't have to go very far to work among the stars. After graduating college, he landed his first job in the mailroom and worked his way up the ladder. Today, he is representing some of today's premiere talent - Jason Genao stars in Netflix's hit show "On My Block" as Ruben "Ruby" Martinez Junior (above in the Tik Tok challenge).
In this clip, Neville discusses the challenges in selecting a major that aligns with learning the agency ropes. He discusses how one major doesn't determine your success rather the real training begins after you enter the workforce with on the job training.
Featured Artists Neville Represents...
Jason Genao aka Ruby on "On My Block"
Peyton Meyer aka Lucas Friar on "Girl Meets World"
Alberto Rosende aka Simon Lewis on "Shadowhunters"
In this clip, Darius gives some insight on what it takes to be a social activist. When the protests are over and everyone goes home, the sustainable work begins by investing consistent time and effort to build relationships in the communities you are working to serve.
He challenged us to reflect on what service means for each of us and how uncomfortable are you willing to get in standing up and doing our part to close the racial equity gap.
Transformational Read: The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
Thurs. April 15th
As a DC native and barely making it through a childhood marred by the murder of his father, homelessness, and constant trauma, Darius decided to go back to his community fueled by his commitment to provide every child a fair shot in life.
Only a few short years later Darius and his two best friends' decision has affected the lives of hundreds of young people and their families living in poverty in Washington, D.C. He would go on to work with his co-founders Danny and Troye to lead GOOD from an idea on a white board in their dorm room to an organization backed by the Ford Foundation that develops the skills, hires, and invests in young people in communities like the one he came up in (pbs.org).
In this clip, Sydni shares her steps that she made from graduating college, getting an internship to landing her first job.
Transformational Read: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Thurs. March 18th
Sydni is born and raised in South Central L.A. and has stayed true to her roots through her vision of the world she wants to live in.
She is not only a producer at an ad agency, she created a platform called "Bid Black" that puts black production talent in the spotlight. Her efforts to feature black directors, writers, editors, and producers through her directory is essential to transforming how diverse narratives are being told and by whom. Learn more about Syndi featured in Stories from Clipper Nation.
In this clip, Dominic and Donte discuss how they didn't know how to code when they started and still took their idea and made it a reality.
Transformational Read: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight for Donte
Why Should White Guys Have all the Fun by Reginald Lewis for Dom
Thurs. Feb 18th
Donte and Dominic's love for the game and frustration in not being able to find pick up games lead them down a pathway into innovation. The best part about their story is they didn't leave this problem for someone to solve, they seized the opportunity and developed their own app to provide the solution.
Hoop Maps helps you find local pick-up basketball games in your local neighborhood or city. To learn more, watch Dom and Donte on Shark Tank, pitching their viral app to multimillion dollar investors. Find out where they are now, how their business has grown and what impact are they making in the tech game.
In this clip, this John shares strategies on finding passion and focusing on finding career interests you love, not just making money so you won't burn out and get a lot further.
Transformational Read: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
Thurs. Jan 21st
To learn more about John, click here https://bit.ly/3ntULqU
If John had a superpower, it would be storytelling as a way to move, inspire, build empathy, teach, and make connections that incur real change. As a graduate from Calstate Long Beach with a degree in journalism, he shared, "on my journey I’ve experienced a lot of failure and struggle. Though these have thrown me off my path at certain points, I’ve come to understand how failure and struggle are inextricable from the process of achieving success."
His experiences, patience, and perseverance has led him to work with PBS's series Roadtrip Nation as a copywriter. We will talk about his mission on finding passion and purpose and understanding the power to write our own story.
Watch a snippet of one of Roadtrip Nation's episode with Michelle Obama.
To learn more about Nicole, click here to read more about her in Voyage LA.
Nicole is a natural born leader, teacher, and artist by taking bold steps to showcase her artwork to the world on her own terms. Nicole shares, "as a black woman I have learned to take pride in who I am, what I’ve been through and use that as my motive for creating art."
In our next webinar, she is going to lead us in a virtual "Paint & Vibe", not only is it painting but a personalized positive affirmation for 2021! Create art from the heart for a holiday gift to yourself or a loved one.
In this clip, this dynamo Gen Z queen shared her story on finding passion, embracing the value of her uniqueness and learning the life lesson of not comparing herself to others on her journey to Yale University. Transformational Read: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates AND Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Guest Panelist on Thurs. Nov. 19th
Ryan Pascal, freshman at Yale University, has been calling out racial injustice like she sees it. It started when her high school overlooked MLK day and instead encouraged students to focus on studying for exams at her majority-white school. She has been using her online platform to blog about it and continues to make a difference by bringing awareness to gun violence prevention. This propelled her to community organize with Students Demand Action to register voters this election season.
Her goal: register 100,000 voters ages 18-29 by November. With historic voter participation, Pascal will break down her mission and how we can all step up our participation and be the change we want to see. To learn more about Ryan, click here to read about her in Ms. Magazine .
Check out highlights of James's interview. He answers questions on how to start a business, how to find your passion, and how to follow clues on your journey to success. Wishing you the best of luck James!! Transformational Read: Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
James has found a way to tap into the 16 billion dollar sneaker industry. Featured in the New York Post and Scientific World, Fix My Kix provides a mobile marketplace app for the services of shoe restoration.
This next gen sneaker cobbler is going to break down his secret to his success .
The secret to receiving a scholarship is applying!! When these opportunities arise, seize them. Confidence starts with counting yourself.
Have questions about the application process for the Michael H. Chen scholarship? Join United We Stand webinar on Thurs. Oct. 15th. We will be answering questions on how to submit a winning application.
Check out Melissa's interview. She answered questions on what were some of her major milestones that shaped her life, how she learned to believe in herself and how she owned the vision she saw for her life. Transformational Read: The Defining Decade by Meg Jay Ph.D
Melissa Effa, filmmaker and founder of Whole and Seen, a non-profit mentoring black youth, will be September's guest panelist and she will be sharing her journey as a storyteller and how she found her passion and purpose. She is going to help us define our story in a time of social and political unrest and identify strategies on how to use our social media for good.
This Q and A will help to answer any questions about the scholarship such as application requirements, deadlines, and tips to stand out in the crowd.
In response to the civil unrest stemming from an international uprising behind the most recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor while in a global pandemic, Dr. Shani Chen collaborated with veteran teacher Lori Lwanga from Greenburgh, NY and created a "safe space" to hold honest dialogues about race and justice in America.
As a result, "United We Stand", a monthly webinar series was born. Student led discussions offers an authentic perspective among the participants with guest panelists and mental health experts to provide strategies to feel heard and supported, as well as ways to get involved.
Students exchange ideas, make connections, and increase their engagement from within their respective communities.
The webinar is held every 3rd Thursday of every month.
Panelists have included Iziyah Robinson, youth activist; Reonna Johnson, VP Business Development and co-founder of Three's A Crowd and In for 13; Tawon Green, community ambassador at Clay Counseling Solutions; and Susan Evbouwman, marriage and family therapist.
Minority Health Matters @unconnmhm
A Cure for Humanity @cure.humans
@threesacrowd.black
