Yara Shahidi is making history as the first Black Tinkerbell in Disney’s newest live-action adaptation, Variety reports.
“Peter Pan and Wendy” is the newest adaptation of the classic 1953 Disney movie “Peter Pan” about a boy who never grows up. Shahidi will play the beloved Tinkerbell, a fairy who guides Peter with her magic throughout his adventures. The “grown-ish” actor will join the cast alongside Jude Law (Captain Hook), Alexander Molony (Peter Pan), and budding actress Ever Anderson (Wendy).
Shahidi recently launched a production company in partnership with ABC Studios. She is on their hit show “black-ish,” and the spinoff on Freeform, “grown-ish,” which she produces. Disney is attempting to diversify its casts, given the current cultural climate. Recently, they cast singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” and Niles Fitch as the first live-action Black prince in the “Secret Society of Second Born Royals.”
Disney has been rolling out a ton of new content, recently releasing a live-action adaptation of “Mulan.” Shahidi took to Instagram to share a new Black Tinkerbell sketch and thank her fans for all of the support. “Thank you all for all of the love. It truly means so much to me. I’m excited for this next adventure,” she wrote.
Formerly known as Google Ventures, GV is a large venture capital firm that has invested in major companies such as Slack, Uber, and GitLab. Now the company is welcoming Principal Terri Burns as its newest investing partner. Burns is making history as the first Black woman partner at the company and the youngest, at just 26-years-old.
Burns got her start at Twitter as an associate product manager, eventually getting hired at GV, where she’s worked for the last three years. Because of her age, Burns has a knack for recognizing new ventures to capture Gen Z’s attention. Her latest investment in HAGS, an app that started as a digital yearbook and is now expanding into a broader social site for high school-aged youth, is just another example of that.
In an industry dominated by white males, Burns is an anomaly. As of February 2020, the number of women leaders in the VC world was at just 13%, a mere 4% increase from 3 years ago. In 2019, there was only one Black woman named partner at any VC company, and between 2010 and 2015, Black people have made up just 0.67% of the industry workforce.
Dave Munichiello, a general partner at GV, spoke about the importence of Burns’ promotion, saying, “Her investments display her interest in companies that are built by and for Gen Z, particularly as this generation comes of age in a remarkably uncertain time.”
As of now, Burns is focused on consumer businesses, expanding to include investments in the future of work and fintech. She’s not giving many details about her next move, and she plans to keep it that way.
At 21-years-old, Kennedi Carter has made history as the youngest photographer to shoot a cover for British Vogue in its 104-year history. Carter had the privilege of photographing one of her musical idols, Beyoncé, for the December 2020 cover. The North Carolina native said she was shocked when she got the job.
“It feels like it dropped out of the sky,” Carter told British Vogue. “I’m 21… I haven’t really had many opportunities like this.”
Carter is a fine art photographer who describes her work as showcasing “overlooked beauties of the Black experience” and was handpicked by Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful and Beyoncé, who asked for a woman of color specifically for the shoot. This isn’t the first time Queen B has had a hand in a historic Vogue cover; in 2018, she tapped 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell as her photographer. He became the first-ever Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover in the publication’s 126-year history.
Although Carter’s aesthetic falls in line with Beyonce’s, especially with her recent Black Is King visual album, which uplifted the Blackness across the diaspora, Carter still felt shocked due to her perceived inexperience. She is younger than Irving Penn and David Bailey who’s first Vogue covers were 26 and 23, respectively.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to do something at this level unless I was older, with many years in the game,” she told Vogue UK. “This is for people at the pinnacle of their careers.”
The senior African American studies major at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro told British Vogue that she didn’t let nerves get to her during the two-day shoot. She said she was going with the flow, having researched how the star worked and was surprised at how much control over the shoot Beyoncé gave her.
“I had underestimated how much she’s willing to submit herself to a vision and truly become someone else’s muse,” Carter said. Adding that the star’s ability to “control her own narrative” was something that she admired and that she was “just so, so nice.”
She said she appreciates the opportunity Beyoncé has given her and other artists that may not have been recognized without her platform.
“It’s really amazing that she’s using her influence to be able to give young artists this experience, and allowing their voices to be heard,” Carter told British Vogue. “She’s opening the door for others.”
Growing up, Carter didn’t expect to be a photographer; she’d only taken a photography class in high school because she thought it was going to be easy — it wasn’t. However, she kept at it and found her passion. She credits Dana Scruggs with getting her work in front of editors. Now that she has Beyoncé on her resume being noticed shouldn’t be a problem. But even with her newfound acclaim, she said she isn’t looking to leave her family in Durham to find a big city anytime soon. But she does plan to celebrate with them.
“I think we’ll just sit outside and make a little bonfire, the four of us,” She told British. “And I’ll invite my man.”
We can’t wait to see where you go from here, Kennedi! Congratulations!
Photo Credit: British Vogue/@internetbby Instagram
Rukayat Sadiq, is a software engineer with over 5 years successful experience leading engineering teams to build and deliver scalable software products in multiple languages and technologies.
The need to solve problems around her led Rukayat to study Electrical & Electronics Engineering. The same zeal also directed her the field of software engineering field where she has focused on working with teams to build software solutions targeted at the health, financial and educational sectors through her career.
Rukayat decided to go into software engineering after she realised what she could potentially build through computer programs having successfully written code to solve her engineering mathematics problems in her undergraduate days.
She currently works as a software engineer with Influitive – a Canadian based marketing technology firm.
She had worked as a Full Stack Software Engineer and Technical Team Lead, Senior Software Engineer at Andela, after completing the Andela Fellowship Program. At Andela, Rukayat also co-foounded and co-led the Andela’s Ladies-in-Tech group. She is also a co-organizer of the Lagos Women in Machine Learning and Data Science Group.
Rukayat holds a bachelors degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Ilorin and is completing her masters degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Rukayat was one of the women celebrated in Tech Cabal‘s Tech Women Lagos series, which profiled 50 women in the Lagos technology ecosystem from different backgrounds and at different stages of their technology careers.
We celebrate Rukayat for pursuing her dreams and inspiring others to do so and we’re rooting for her!
Commuting in Lagos, Nigeria is hard! It is stressful! And sometimes, not safe Damilola Olokesusi decided to do something about it. She founded Shuttlers Logistics Company, a platform that allows professionals, companies, fun-seekers access comfortable, safe, efficient yet affordable transportation to and from work and around the city through bus-pooling.
Damilola decided to start the company after her sister was robbed by armed men disguised as public bus drivers, on her way to work. She and her cofounders Busola Majekodunmi, and Damilola Quadry put their savings together and launched the company, and as the business grew, they received grants from the World Bank, Airtel and Sahara Energy, and they were able to go from one to 22 routes.
Through the Shuttlers App, professionals book a seat in a route, pay a subscription, and track arrival and departure times of their rides: “comfortable air-conditioned buses and cars providing them with extra time to catch up on sleep, work or personal development time. Sharing with other professionals also give room for networking opportunities.”
Damilola’s Shuttlers has also launched SHE-MOVES, an initiative supported by the Ford Motor Company Fund and Ford Motor Company in partnership with Global Water Challenge (GWC). According to Ford, SHE-MOVES (Strengthen Her: Mobilizing Ventures for Social Innovation) is designed to provide “Whole-Person Leadership” development and promote access to mobility.
With Shuttlers, the initiative gives female professionals the opportunity to use their otherwise long commute time in traffic as a learning and development time .The project gives them access to online courses, mentors and peer-to-peer support for professional courses they might be interested in taking.
Damilola holds a bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos. She is a part of the Harambean Team for 2018 cohort; an Alliance for highly educated young African social, business and political entrepreneurs, attending leading universities in Asia, Europe and North America.
She won the Award for Digital and Tech award at the Women in Africa Contest in Morocco, Award for the Best Idea at the Aso Villa Demo Day and is also a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum where she leads the Entrepreneurship and Innovation team and is also the Vice-Curator of the Lagos hub for 2019/2020.
In 2019, she was named in Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 list (Technology category).
We celebrate Damilola for providing a solution that will positively impact millions of people as well as making commuting to and from work a productive part of one’s day. We’re rooting for her and the team!
oNgozi Erondu, PhD MPH, is a global health and biosecurity advisor who has over a decade experience in epidemiology, public health and biosecurity.
Ngozi, a Google Scholar, holds a bachelors degree in Psychology, Biology from DePaul University and went on to bag a Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine.
After her masters degree Ngozi joined the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as a Public Health Prevention Service Fellow and then she joined a global consulting firm that provides expert services and support in strategic planning field epidemiology and surveillance, designing public health programs and developing monitoring and evaluation strategies and dashboard tools.
During her time at the consulting firm, Ngozi worked as a Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine while completing her doctoral training in public health policy and epidemiology. She them moved on to the World Health Organisation as a Consultant Technical Officer. She was also a field epidemiologist in the CDC ebola response in Guinea.
Between 2016 and 2018, she was an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) where she had completed her doctoral training in public health policy and epidemiology prior.
Ngozi is a fellow of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative. In 2017, she was one of the people selected for The Aspen Institute’s New Voices Fellowship, a year-long media skills, communication and leadership program designed for standout development professionals.
In 2015, Ngozi and Betiel Hadgu Haile co-founded the Global Bridge Group— a global health and development consultancy company which provided services to inform and improve global health initiatives in resource-constrained countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
She’s currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Chatham House Centre for Global Health Security and was a Senior Public Health Advisor at Public Health England.
Ngozi is also the Chief Executive of Project Zambezi, a public-private-partnership improving drug distribution across Africa.
Ngozi is also an independent consultant, providing health systems research/training and monitoring and evaluation services. We celebrate her for being a force in global health and development and we’re rooting for her!
Muna Onuzo-Iyanam, is a brand and business strategist with over 14 years professional experience, working with diverse organisations as a consultant and learning and education facilitator to develop 360 degrees branding strategy, especially for startups.
She has coached and trained and mentored over 2000 Nigerian youths in the ABCs of business ethics and on the importance of image, branding and etiquette in business. Muna’s expertise include cross-cultural communication, human capital training and development, new/digital media and CSR strategy development and execution.
Muna is the founder of Gazzelle Academy Vocational Centre, a first-rate skill acquisition centre, approved by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) approved vocational centre which trains artisans and entrepreneurs.
Muna is currently the SA, Technical Planning, Research & Development to the Minister of State for Education in Nigeria.
Muna Onuzo is also a certified corporate etiquette, cross-cultural communication, international protocol and business image consultant. She is the Principal Consultant at Personnelty Fit Ltd. She obtained her Etiquette and Protocol certification from The Protocol School of Washington.
Muna holds a bachelors degree in Mass Communication from Imo State University and a masters degree in Media and Communication from the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University.
She’s the President of the Nigeria chapter of Foundation for Women in Film and Television – an International NGO spread over 44 countries. She is a sitting Board of Trustees member of the Society for the Performing Arts of Nigeria – an award winning NGO helping the Nigerian youth to live out their dream through dance and the Arts.
We celebrate Muna for her work in helping Nigerian youths develop both practical, entrepreneurial and employability skill that will give them a fighting chance to live a more productive life.
How Farmz2U works is that farmers tell the application how much land they have, what crops they want to grow, what their budget is, and even their target profit. Farmz2U then calculates how many seedlings the farmer should get, what fertiliser and pesticides to use, and provides training guides and videos for certain crops. Farmers can also find out where there is demand for their product, track orders and invoices, and find storage locations. Farmz2U even allows users to access financing, insurance, and receive weather reports and warnings.
Aisha, a strategy consultant, developed Farmz2U after a health scare prompted her to eat more healthily, which in turn exposed her to the challenges faced by the food industry. She became determined to reduce food waste and improve the nutritional intake of other people.
Farmz2U has already partnered with two commercial farmers as well as with the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture’s farmer support programme to access its network of smallholder farmers.
Farmz2U is working to create another app that will include a nutrition management platform for health-conscious consumers who can create meal plans and shopping lists. Users will be able to buy fresh produce directly from farmers who are registered on the Farmz2U farm management platform, creating additional markets for local farmers.
Aisha is an Economics graduate from Queen Mary University of London and she cut her teeth in business consulting and strategy in a variety of firms in London.
Apart from the Prize for Engineering Innovation, Aisha’s Farmz2U received a £5,000 grant from ShellLivewire in 2016.
Aisha is helping farmers farm better with tailored agricultural expertise and access to market and we’re rooting for her!
week is Farida Yahya, an author, entrepreneur, and startup coach. She’s the founder of LumoNaturals, an Abuja-based natural haircare solutions brand. She’s also a startup tutor and the founder of The Brief Academy, a learning hub for female startup owners.
Farida’s LumoNaturals provides a combination of natural products, techniques, artistic styles and education about African hair and the importance of healthy and natural hair to naturalistas.
In her book Redefining Beautiful, Farida shared her then 10-year old journey in going natural and starting LumoNaturals.
Farida, a BellaNaija contributor was one of the 10 youth leaders selected to meet (the then) UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon (in 2015) to discuss development, climate change and the role of the youths in promoting the sustainable development goals and increasing momentum and ownership in Nigeria.
She’s also a member of a UNDP-selected group of young leaders as part of a technical group for the sustainable development goals to inspire the next generation of leaders on their roles in localising and achieving the goals in sub national levels.
She launched Northernlife Nigeria in 2016, an online media platform designed to showcase the diversity of the people of Northern Nigeria, using multimedia channels, citizen reporting, and creative writing, exploring the rich cultural history of its people. The platforms is working towards changing the narrative of region as one of under-achievers, and engaging the citizens on collective responsibility to solve the region’s challenges.
She’s also the co-founder of Ja Muje, a platform for citizen-led, community-driven action towards achieving sustainable growth and development of Northern Nigeria, with a focus on education, health, business and innovation. The Forum employs an innovative approach of combining conversations, a think tank of researchers and a mentors’ program to build a community of changers and youth leaders.
Farida has a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Maiduguri and had work as a laboratory assistant in Dangote Flour Mills in Kano.
Farida was on Leading Ladies Africa’s “100 Most Influential Women in Nigeria” list in 2020.
We celebrate Farida for being an inspiration in entrepreneurship and for her work in achieving the sustainable development goals, especially in northern Nigeria.
Have you ever wondered what your college career would have looked like if you’d been more prepared for it? Or, do you hope that today’s youth would know more of what they’re walking into, to determine if college is or is not for them? Nitiya Walker is making sure that those hopes, dreams, and questions you whisper to yourself are answered and made into a reality.
Nitiya, an entrepreneur and trailblazer, has created hope under the chaos of COVID-19, with the first college preparation program geared toward young women of color. Seeds of Fortune is a New York City-based scholarship program with a national reach that aims to financially empower young women of color by helping them apply for college scholarships.With the threat of the recent strain of coronavirus creating havoc throughout the nation’s education system, Seeds of Fortune is a constant that young women can count on to advance in their chosen career paths.
Even within the constraints of social-distancing, this organization is making sure to provide the resources needed by high-school girls everywhere. Recently, Seeds of Fortune launchedits online training portal, the Online College Prep Network, for high school seniors of color. The Online College Prep Network, which includes development scholarship/college packages, career skills, and financial literacy through an intensive online prep process, provides young women with an exclusive network to explore colleges whose admissions offices are currently closed.
Nitiya, who is the founder and current executive director of Seeds of Fortune, holds experience in the field of economic empowerment for women and minorities. Through Seeds of Fortune, she has already helped minority young women earn $6 million (and counting!) in college scholarships and grants.
In this interview with BAUCE, Nitiya chats with BAUCE about the importance of teaching college and career readiness to high-school students around the nation.
Looking back to your senior year in high school, what experiences are you providing for young girls that you wish you would’ve had yourself? How do you think having access to these experiences would have changed your college experience?
Nitiya:As a high school senior, I was provided the opportunity to work with a Girl Scout Troop leader who understood the art of getting college scholarships, this allowed me to have the opportunity to be able to apply for college scholarships. I wish I had understood the different colleges’ rankings that there were colleges that provided more money than others, as well as the options available to me as a minority applicant. It would have opened up my college and financial options.
Photo Credit: Seeds of Fortune
Usually, a life-defining moment births some of our biggest and best ideas in life. What kickstarted the need for Seeds of Fortune?
Nitiya:It was the moment one of my friends from high school was unable to finish at her university and transferred to college closer to home due to affordability. If I did not have someone that took the time to teach me how to obtain scholarships for college, I would not have been able to obtain the Full Tuition Posse Leadership to Babson College.
When do you think that it is important to teach young black girls about practicing financial freedom in their lives and why?
Nitiya:Young women should be taught about finances once they are entering middle school, it is important to start to develop good money habits, by the time they start high school and are legally able to work they would have started to understand money. This includes saving for birthdays and understanding a checking as well as a savings account.
I think it’s symbolic that the word “seeds” is emphasized in the name of your scholarship program, as it paints a picture of planting something early to reap the harvest later in life. Do you think that patience plays a big part in college readiness while training one’s career and financial management skills?
Nitiya: We emphasized that there are a process and community to life and the more you invest and perfect your process the more prepared you will be. A seed is planted, however, in order for it to successfully transform into a flower, it must be watered, given sunlight, nutrients to grow into its full potential. We value and provide the ingredients for their success, but they are the ones that must own it and use it to their advantage.
Photo Credit: Seeds of Fortune
Speaking of patience in the journey of success, I know COVID-19 has had a part in creating a shift within your organization. What’s the silver lining in all of this for Seeds?
Nitiya:Although Covid-19 has been a stressful time for students at the moment it has provided the opportunity for them to form a community online. Our Seed online college prep platform allows them to have a safe space where they can connect on their concerns for the future, push one another to fulfill their greatest potential, and obtain information to make them more savvy consumers in the college process.
Many middle-class students of color find it hard to find scholarships that fit them into their category. Their households may make too much to qualify for scholarships that amount to big totals, but do not have a way to fully fund their tuition. What are some tips on how to look for more inclusive scholarships with flexible requirements?
Nitiya: Students in middle-class families should focus on scholarships that are focused on leadership, community service, status as (women, minority, or career major) and merit-based scholarships. These scholarships are based on their academic achievement, commitment to their community, as well as their ability to enter spaces that are historically lacking diversity.
They should also localize their scholarship search applying to scholarships offered by the church, mosque, unions, community banks, sororities, and social clubs. Seeds has an online training portal for current high-school seniors to prepare them for what they may be facing in the fall. What is the most effective thing that a high-school senior can do now to prepare them for their collegiate journey?
Treat the college process as a financial investment, begin researching which schools have high employment rates, understand the colleges that offer 100% aid to cover college costs, find online programs to become involved with that are connected to their intended major, request information sessions with admission officers to allow you to stand out in the applicant pool.
Photo Credit: Seeds of Fortune
Being away from family, certain routines, and regulations can lead to over or under doing things that you’re used to having guidance with. In most cases, this can be overspending or purchasing things you don’t need. How can a college student live on an efficient budget, while still enjoying some of the things they love?
Nitiya:Technology has leveled the playing field when it comes to managing finances in college and keeping track of expenses. I recommend the Clarity app. It allows you to track your spending on your credit and debit cards, apply for the Goldman Sachs Marcus High Yield Savings Account with a 1.3% interest rate, and eliminate subscription services that might be draining your finances. They also tell you what categories you have been spending heavily on. The more you can watch your money, the more responsible you are able to be with it.
It is also important that they begin to start emergency savings accounts, keeping at least $500 in their savings account at all times. It is important to open up both a checking and savings account because money tends to disappear easily between food, online shopping, and activities with friends.
As students enter college, some are applying for internships and jobs for the very first time. With little to no experience, this can seem intimidating. What are some ways that students can practice their career skills while making the application process seem frightening?
Nitiya: I recommend students create career support networks both virtually and in person. Some of the resources we currently suggest to students are connecting with their career center on campus, the career center has a job portal and staff to review a resume and navigate applications. Additionally entering their resume into minority career pipeline funnels like MLT, Inroads, SEO, and Jopwell that are able to help screen their applications and sharpen them to become top applicants. Last but certainly not least create a LinkedIn profile. When a student sets up a LinkedIn account – LinkedIn is able to access the strength of your profile, similar to an online job application, who can typically apply directly to jobs through your LinkedIn profile.
If you could encourage younggirls to attend college with one of the most valuable benefit from the experience, what would you tell them?
Nitiya: College is an accreditation to enter into the white collar workforce, however the brand you build behind that accreditation is the reason why you should go to college. You create networks of like-minded individuals, it transforms the way you view and see the world, and provides you the opportunity to mold yourself with structure into the person you want to become. Life is not what you want to do but who you want to be.
