#BlackExcellence inspiration from February’s #DreamSpeakers
African American history and culture are an essential part of our nation’s identity. To celebrate Black History Month, DreamWakers hosted our second annual #BlackExcellence flashchat series, connecting classrooms across the country with exceptional Black role models. #DreamSpeakers shared their experiences as an African American in their industry and how they are shaping the future. During these conversations, each career role model shared advice that has helped them achieve success, inspiring and guiding students to make their own history!
Chris Upperman, CEO of Envolve Entrepreneurship
“Be resilient. You can really work hard to make the best outcomes for yourself in life. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t work hard and make things happen for yourself.”
Precious Williams, Founder & CEO of Perfect Pitches by Precious
“Be comfortable being a leader and not a follower. Be comfortable with standing against the grain. Be comfortable with not following the crowd.”
Augustine Wiah, Program Manager at Youtube
“No matter what you do, keep chasing your dreams. That means working hard, being consistent, and being respectful.”
Sabrina Thompson, Aerospace Engineer at NASA
“You have help from people around you. And you’re smart, so you already know how to learn things you don’t know. You may just need someone to point you in the right direction.”
JJ West, Director of Strategy & Marketing @ ESPN/Disney
“On your journey of trying to reach wherever you’re trying to go, there’s a lot of detours. So you just can’t give up. You can’t stop. You’ve just got to keep going.”
Julia Walker, President of Joe Walker Management
“Know yourself. If you want to have a successful career, you need to start asking yourself these questions because you are the most important factor in your future career.”
Deesha Dyer, Co-founder of beGirl.world
“You have to get out of the pattern of feeling like you don’t deserve something. Understand how talented you are, how wonderful you are, and stop comparing yourself to others.”
Daniel Barker, Director for Research at Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
“I would tell myself to care less about what people think and to do what I find interesting.”
Hafsatu Kamara, Olympic Track Athlete Representing Sierra Leone & Marketing Strategist
“Follow the aspects of patience, discipline, and focus.”
Everdeen Mason, Senior Audience Editor for the Washington Post
“You don’t have to have a plan 100% mapped out, but you do have to have some self-awareness about what your interests are and what your strengths are.”
Our #BlackExcellence flashchat series is ongoing through the final days of February. Follow along via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
As February comes to an end, we’re looking ahead to Women’s History Month in March where we will feature a wide range of diverse women and their careers. Are you interested writing #HERstory this March with a DreamWakers flashchat? Join today and request a #HERstory flashchat!
Written by Ashley Clark, DreamWakers Education Technology Intern
Are you an educator looking to bring your lessons to life through conversation with career professionals? Join DreamWakers today!
