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A Georgia teenager has reached a huge academic milestone: Getting 53 college acceptance letters and receiving $1.8 million in scholarships, PEOPLE shared. High schooler Jada-Symone Batichon, 18, also thanks her mother and father for their inspiration as the first in their families to go to college. That motivated her to work harder toward her goals. “All of it paid off,” the Wheeler High School graduate told the magazine. Jada-Symone was an accomplished student, maintaining a 4.0 GPA in high school and having completed six high school courses in middle school. She was also involved in student government and the cheerleading team and was a member of the National Honor Society. Dual-enrolled at Kennesaw State University, she obtained a nursing assistant certification from Chattahoochee Technical College as well. Jada-Symone says her academic success would not have been possible without the help of her mother, Dr. Claudia Batichon, who is a technical and agricultural education teacher...
Grammy Award-winning singer Kirk Franklin has deepened his partnership with a media and entertainment company, which will increase funding for his creative endeavors. Franklin’s Fo Yo Soul Recordings and CLTRE Lab merged with Insignia Assets, established by Norman Gyamfi and Jonathan Jay, according to Billboard . The companies will be able to benefit from Insignia Assets’ portfolio, which encompasses recorded music and publishing, television, film, touring and events. The gospel artist will assume a new title, serving as Insignia Assets’ chief of creative services. “We’ve worked with Kirk for some time now—from the 2022 release of the multi-GRAMMY®-winning collaborative album, Kingdom, to producing sold-out arena tours with him consecutively over the past few years,” Gyamfi, Insignia Assets’ co-founder and CEO, told the music publication. “Today, we’re thrilled to fortify and deepen our partnership by welcoming Kirk to our executive team and by charting a course for the future with...
NFL player Jaylon Smith admits that he didn’t have any idea how to manage his earnings once he entered the league, but as his career has continued to grow, he is ready to conquer the business world. Smith has been playing football since he was 7 years old. His talent on the field led to the Dallas Cowboys drafting him at 20 years old in 2016, ESPN reported . He signed a four-year contract valued at $6.5 million, according to Spotrac. However, managing those earnings came with its challenges. “Now I acquire some money at 20 years old with zero knowledge on how to manage, grow and preserve it. I didn’t grow [up] in my household with a budget. So that’s another layer of dynamic that we have to think about as well on why my peers are going broke,” Smith explained on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast, hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas. Smith has come a long way from draft day. The Las Vegas Raiders linebacker, who played college football at Notre Dame, is a serial investor...
Track stars Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis-Woodhall are investing in familiar territory. What Is ATHLOS The trio has teamed up to join the ownership group of the ATHLOS track and field league. ATHLOS, launched in 2024 by Alexis Ohanian, Reddit founder and Serena Williams ‘ husband, began as an all-women’s track and field meet. According to Forbes, ATHLOS will return to New York, NY, for its 2025 meet but will scale into a full-fledged league starting next year. The team-based league’s website states that it will feature some of the fastest athletes in the world, span multiple cities, and build momentum toward a championship event. “ATHLOS is shifting gears, moving from a solo spotlight to team-centered showdowns where participating athletes will compete for teams, not just times. It’s still blazing fast, but with teams to cheer for,” the website mentions. ATHLOS offers $60,000 in prize money to the winner of each event across the meet, and 10% of all event...
Graduating from college is a special time in a person’s life, and last month, a mother-daughter duo made it even more memorable by both earning their bachelor’s degrees from Alabama State University (ASU). Nicole Cosby and her daughter Kaiya King earned a Bachelor of Science in social work and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, respectively, the school announced. Cosby first attended Alabama State University in the 1990s. However, she took a step back from her studies to become a wife, a mother, and a licensed cosmetologist , according to WSFA 12 News. In 2023, she decided to refocus on completing her studies at the school. Cosby told the school that she and King did not plan to graduate at the same time. “My daughter applied, enrolled, and was accepted. At the time, I was a full-time salon owner and had completed nonprofit work in underserved communities,” Cosby said. “That work ignited a passion in me to become a licensed professional who could offer the best care to those I...
Bill Gates intends on allocating the majority of his wealth to Africa. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, Microsoft founder Bill Gates plans to donate the majority of his wealth by 2045 — an estimated $200 billion. Despite this massive philanthropic effort, he is still expected to remain a billionaire and may even stay the fifth-richest person in the world, BBC reports. “People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” he wrote in a blog post, per BBC. Gates intends to distribute his wealth through his foundation. The original plan was for the foundation to continue operating beyond his lifetime; however, he now has faith in the next generation of wealthy individuals to carry on his efforts, believing they will be better positioned to do so. “At the end of 20 years, the foundation will sunset its operations,” the Gates Foundation said in a statement, per BBC. In the meantime, Gates will focus on using his wealth...
Although Shaquille O’Neal already boasts a couple of degrees, he’s in the process of earning another master’s degree. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the NBA champion obtained a bachelor’s degree in general studies in 2000, using his mother as a source of motivation. “I left [college] my junior year, so I was only a few credits short. So I go back to school…and I’m loving it, but I’m hating it at the same time. But I’m like, ‘Just let me do it for my mom'”, the four-time NBA champion explained during an interview on the podcast “In-Depth with Graham Bensinger.” O’Neal later pursued an MBA from the University of Phoenix, which primarily offers online classes, but this time, he paid for his friends to also obtain their master’s degrees so he could take courses in a classroom setting, according to SI . In addition, he also holds a doctoral degree in education, which he earned in 2012 from Barry University. Now, O’Neal is in school yet again. This time, he is looking to become a...
Award-winning cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson is inspiring the next generation. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Robinson is making an imprint within his industry through his career trajectory, which includes contributions to skin care at Rhode, a lifestyle beauty brand founded by Hailey Bieber that was recently acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion. “Proud day for science. Hailey, Michael @ratty Lauren @laurenratner and the entire @rhode team – Thank you for bringing us on as partners from the very beginning,” he expressed on Instagram. “While some may have experts just for marketing, you truly leaned into the science and allowed us to be part of the team. Because of you, brands have taken notice and now value the need for science-led formulations. This has been the journey of a lifetime and we are proud to be a part of it.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ron Robinson (@ronrobinsoncosmeticchemist) Partnership With Girls In STEM Beyond his work at Rhode, Robinson is...
Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony have teamed up to award several HBCU students with scholarships. The trio is behind the Social Change United Fund, which was created in response to racial injustice, pooling their collective resources to support communities of color, its website mentions. It aims to create equity in entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation. “It started back in, I want to say, 2020,” Anthony told Fast Company. “It was a real moment. We were watching a moment in society and our community, and our country, and it’s right in front of our faces, and the world was watching. It was a moment where I had to figure out, ‘Da-n, what do I want to do?’ And I think everyone was asking that same question. We just talked, came together, and we founded the Social Change Fund United.” He continued, “What we did was create a really clear vision on what we wanted to do on strategy, how do we advance equity, how do we advance social justice, criminal justice reform,...
Founder Melissa Butler says The Lip Bar was impacted by the Target boycott. How Target’s DEI Stance Impacted Its Q1 Earnings As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Target made the decision to scale back its three-year diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, which included dismantling a program that worked to feature Black-owned businesses in its stores. The company also stopped sending reports to an external diversity-focused organization. This prompted a 40-day consumer boycott led by Rev. Jamal Bryant, which attracted participation from nearly 200,000 consumers, per Atlanta News First. Target experienced a decline in foot traffic for 11 consecutive weeks, and its first-quarter earnings were $23.8 billion, which was 2.8% lower than the same period the previous year, according to a press release. To no surprise, business owners shelved at the store have felt the brunt of the boycott. This includes Butler who shared that sales had plummeted between 30% and 40%. “When people ask me...
Cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson is part of the team at recently acquired beauty brand Rhode. According to Beauty Matter, Robinson has been creating top-selling skincare products for over 30 years, despite not being very familiar with the beauty industry while growing up. Initially, he aspired to become a doctor and studied biology and chemistry at Adelphi University. His plans took a pivot after he completed one year of medical school when he joined Estée Lauder as a product development manager in the Clinique division. He held that role for eight years starting in 1990, his LinkedIn mentions. “My mom was disappointed about me dropping out of med school, but she forgave me because I was a cosmetic chemist gifting her products that I made,” Robinson told Beauty Matter. “The delight and joy that she saw in getting those products and using them has been fuel for me to keep me constantly looking to develop new and exciting products that really delight consumers.” Robinson would go on to...
Anthony Davis has mixed feelings about NIL deals. What Is NIL? In June 2021, NCAA college athletes were given the opportunity to benefit financially from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This change came after governance bodies across all three NCAA divisions suspended NIL restrictions for current and incoming student-athletes in all sports, according to the NCAA. However, it was clarified that despite the changes to the NIL landscape, “pay-for-play” arrangements and improper inducements would still not be permitted. “This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said at the time, per the NCAA. “With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level. The current environment — both legal and legislative — prevents us from providing a...
A new center is set to be the first of its kind for Black-owned businesses and professionals in Charlotte, NC. Innovation Center According to The Charlotte Observer, a project called the Innovation Center is underway, guided by a mission to promote economic growth and combat food disparity. The initiative is led by Cathay Dawkins, an entrepreneur and chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce, along with other members of the organization. “Think of it as a one-stop shop for professionals and small businesses,” Dawkins told the outlet. Why It Was Needed After visiting similar establishments in cities such as Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; and Durham, NC, Dawkins says he felt it was essential for Charlotte to have a center of its own. Now, the Innovation Center is set to become the city’s first hub specifically geared toward amplifying Black business people. “As things in the community get taken away, like federal funding and grants, we want to be a safe space,”...
The lifeline of a multi-billion-dollar effort to support minority- and women-owned businesses is under investigation. Established in 1983, The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program provides $37 billion in funding to minority- and women-owned businesses, supporting nearly 49,000 “disadvantaged” businesses, The Washington Post reports. But now the Justice Department argues that this program, provided through the Department of Transportation, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The case originated from two Indiana-based transportation companies Mid-America Milling and Bagshaw Trucking, which in 2023 alleged that they lost opportunities when minority- and women-owned businesses were awarded contracts through the “largest, and perhaps oldest affirmative action program in U.S. history.” The DBE program was defended by the Justice Department during former President Joe Biden’s administration, stating that it was essential to combat discrimination in...
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky sought out Barack Obama’s mentorship. During an interview with former First Lady Michelle Obama, Chesky revealed that he sought advice from Barack after the conclusion of his presidency in 2017. He believed that Barack was well-positioned to offer guidance that could inform his leadership at Airbnb, a vacation rental company that now boasts more than 5 million hosts and over 2 billion guest arrivals, its website mentions. “Airbnb is a community. Who’s the most famous community organizer in the world,” Chesky said, alluding to Barack while speaking to Michelle. Chesky’s time learning under Barack Obama as a mentee involved completing various homework assignments that he said changed his life. By 2018, he says his daily routine included attending night school with Barack’s lessons and participating in weekly one-hour phone calls. While practical, he points out one piece of advice that has stood the test of time: to become more intentional. “He literally said,...