TikTok, as we know, has the potential to change lives and shine a light on talents that may have gone unnoticed previously. Elvis Muchiri, more commonly known as Evolve with Elvis, has become a topic of conversation on TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter as he teaches his audiences how to use keyboard shortcuts with his younger sister Megan. The young boy started posting on TikTok in March of this year and has already gained 125,300 followers and over 1.7 million likes. He also has gained a platform on YouTube with 8,490
Future’s Freewishes Foundation has opened a new “sleek and innovative” STEAM lab in Atlanta, Georgia in partnership with 2K Foundations. The “I Am a Dreamer” lab aims to bridge the educational gap for students in underserved communities by providing access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education, resources, and tools. “It’s important that all students receive access to STEAM education regardless of their background,” said Future, according to Afrotech. “Our Freewishes Foundation, with the support of the 2K Foundations, has helped make this possible in our Atlanta community.
The Mellon Foundation has awarded a $3.3 million grant to the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to continue its Digital Justice Grant Program for three more cycles. Supporting digital projects Launched in 2021, the Digital Justice Grant Program supports digital projects in the humanities and social sciences that focus on historically marginalized communities. These include Black, Latine, and Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and queer, trans, and gender nonconforming individuals. In addition to financial support, the ACLS Digital Justice Grant Program provides tailored coaching from the Nonprofit Finance Fund to help grantees
The SANS Institute and Sinclair Community College have teamed up with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch the JumpStart into Cyber summer program for underrepresented student groups. The program aims to “engage and empower underrepresented student groups, including women, Black, African American, Latino(a), Hispanic, and Indigenous students” by providing them with a two-step cybersecurity summer experience which leverages the gamified learning experience of CyberStart. Hacking simulations The program kicks off with CyberStart, an online gamified learning platform created by experts at SANS, the world’s largest provider of cybersecurity training
As a Black medical student, Malone Mukwende was only taught to recognize clinical signs of disease on white skin. But many diseases look different on darker skin tones, leading to misdiagnosis, poor treatment, and even death. As a result, Mukwende launched BlackandBrownSkin. Through innovative tools like the Mind the Gap handbook, the Hutano app, and, most recently, the “Diagnosing Skin of Colour” digital quiz, Mukwende is revolutionizing care for Black and Brown patients. Red rashes, pale skin, blue lips “On arrival at medical school, I noticed a lack of teaching
Tade Oyerinde is empowering students to complete their first two years of college without taking on any debt through his community college startup Campus. As per Forbes, Campus has secured $29 million in a Series A funding round led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Discord founder Jason Citron to expand the college. Other investors in the round include Figma founder Dylan Field; former head of Stripe Lachy Groom; Bloomberg Beta; Founders Fund; Rethink Education; Reach Capital and Precursor Ventures. Students and professors are struggling In 2018, Oyerinde conceived the
Sabrina Thompson, a NASA aerospace engineer and founder of streetwear brand Girl In Space Club (GISC), is using her passion for sneakers to ignite the curiosity of young minds in science, space, and technology. The 38-year-old’s initiative, STEMulating Art, is bridging the gap between creativity and technical skills for young minds. Designing a pair of kicks for the moon Thompson noticed that while kids were excited to meet a rocket scientist like herself, they had trouble connecting with the technical aspects of her work. Determined to bring space exploration down
Beyoncé’s philanthropic initiative, the BeyGOOD Foundation, is set to grant $2 million to entrepreneurs and students during her Renaissance World Tour. Ten years after Beyoncé founded BeyGOOD during the Mrs Carter Show World Tour, the initiative working towards economic equity and education, is now the BeyGOOD Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity. “I am hugely proud of the work we have done over a decade at BeyGOOD, here in the US and around the world,” Beyoncé said in a press release. “From scholarships to the water crisis in Burundi, to helping families during
New Orleans high school senior Dennis Maliq Barnes has set a new national record by receiving more than $9 million in scholarships from 180 colleges and universities. “I’m still getting letters” The 16-year-old senior at the International High School of New Orleans (IHSNO) applied to 200 colleges across the country and has received offers from 180 so far. Local news channel WWL reports that Barnes aims to reach $10 million in offered scholarships by the end of the month. “I am still getting letters. Decision letters were an overflow in
Kiddie Kredit, a Miami-based startup founded by Evan Leaphart, has raised $1.4 million in funding to expand the reach of its financial literacy app. Investors include Nueterra Capital, Plain Sight Capital, Fuerza Ventures, Verve Capital, and former pro athletes Dwyane Wade and Baron Davis. “I was drawn to what Evan and team are working on with Kiddie Kredit. It’s important to give kids a head start and especially on the topic of credit,” said Dwyane Wade, according to Refresh Miami. teaching credit through chores The mobile app teaches kids aged
