Posts in Boost Fellowship
Inside BT: Founding Boost and Building Networks

On this episode of Inside BT, we speak with Emily Cheston, the Director of Boost, a new program she started within the club early this summer. Boost seeks to elevate Black executives and provide mentorship for Black students. Emily speaks to the significance of such a program for the BT community and the students we serve at large. Inside BT is a series that was launched to reflect on how Business Today, a nonprofit that's entirely run by undergraduates, has adapted to the new digital normal created by COVID.

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“Lift as You Climb”: Gene Waddy on Diversity in Business, Mentorship, and Education

Gene C. Waddy is an entrepreneur and co-founder of DIVERSANT LLC, the nation’s largest African-American owned IT staffing and solutions firm. In many ways, DIVERSANT is a reflection of Waddy’s professional expertise, personal drive, and his commitment to helping others. The company has developed a reputation for excellence among numerous Fortune 500 companies.

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The Power of Sustainable Urban Farming: an Interview with Tosha Phonix

Taking on the role of Food Justice Organizer for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment in 2018, Tosha Phonix has utilized her platform to be a beacon for Black growers in and around St. Louis to turn to. From supporting Promise Zone residents through the Neighborhood Leadership Fellows program and Neighborhood Leadership Academy to spearheading various initiatives like the Food Equity Advisory Board which brings together community leaders in the fight for food justice, Tosha’s work has been influential in promoting community development through improved access to fresh, healthy food.

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Changing the Face of Economics: an Interview with Chinemelu Okafor

Founded by Chinemelu Okafor, a predoctoral research specialist and Emerging Scholar in the Politics Department at Princeton University, Research In Color Foundation (RIC) aims to cultivate a more equitable economics profession while empowering students of color interested in the field as well as adjacent fields. As an incorporated nonprofit organization, RIC also works to amplify meaningful economic and policy research that benefits communities of color. As we hear in her conversation with Boost Journalism Fellow Victoria Agwam, the mentorship of young scholars of color throughout this process is essential.

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Pioneering Academia: A Conversation with Dr. Leonard Wantchekon

Originally from Zagnanado in central Benin, Leonard Wantchekon is a Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Largely, his work stands at the intersection of Politics, Economic History, and Development Economics, particularly in Africa, and has also contributed significantly to the literature on clientelism and state capture, resource curse, and democratization.

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The Art Market: What the Numbers Say About American Ideals

Throughout the years, an increasing number of Black artists have entered the space of fine art, pushing boundaries of aestheticism and, in turn, claiming a stake in the white-dominated market. Though as the mainstream prominence of Black art remains disparate from its white counterparts, evident through market value and representation in galleries across the country, another facet of the industry must be examined to understand why: the Black curator.

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