Boston Nonprofit working to build satellite HBCU in Seaport
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Posted By: S. Moore on March 29, 2023 You may see metal and glass, construction equipment and traffic detours in the Seaport — but Babson business student and Haitian immigrant, Thomas Thermidor, sees his future and the future of other young people who look like him. Thomas credits non-profit Street2Ivy for much of his success as a first generation Haitian immigrant. ”I didn’t really know about business until, you know, I started looking into Street2Ivy where I started looking about e-commerce. And then that was really inspiring to me,” says Thermidor. Street2Ivy’s mission is empowering young people from underserved communities through entrepreneurship and helping to fill gaps created by long standing wealth disparities. “You hear about all these kids creating something in Silicon Valley and creating, you know, unbelievable projects that turn into million dollar businesses. A lot of kids have that same talent and ability. What they need is a framework and support,” says Street2Ivy founder, Tavares Brewington. Growing up poor in the south, his success wasn’t always clear. “As an African American man, you know, you’re always told what you cannot do. And through mentorship and opportunities, I’ve been able to go to college, you know, go to law school here at B.S. I went to Cornell and got my MBA. I’ve been a federal prosecutor, a lawyer for the United States, all things that when I was a young person, I would never believe that I could accomplish.” Street2Ivy connects young people with paid internships and most importantly — connections to Boston’s CEOs and businesses — like North Atlantic Ship Repair, where young people can get trained for 6-figure jobs right out of high school. Chief Financial Officer, Bruce Zaniol, and Tavares were college roommates who both worked their way to success. ”We didn’t get exposure to CFOs and CEOs of companies in all the basic, which seems basic, but all the information that these kids were given to them that quite frankly, we didn’t even get probably till midway through college,” says Zaniol. Like any successful business, Street2Ivy is looking to scale up — creating a permanent base for its work. Partnering with Cronin Development and HBCU Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, Brewington wants to create a design center and satellite HBCU right here in the Seaport; attracting longtime manager for Michael Jordan’s brand, amongst others, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards. ”The footwear industry is a $86 billion industry, and Massachusetts has a unique place in it. We have most of the major brands and Dr. Edwards is already partnering with most of them,” says Brewington. But the center goes beyond sneakers. Pending approval from the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCAA), the new 550,000 square foot space would have a life science and office space, grocery store, childcare services, and a Black Chip Art Gallery featuring work from artists of color. ”A lot of the young people that we meet and work with, they’re very creative, you know, they’re into design and, you know, they really want space to maximize their interest and have that turn into something that can improve their lives, the lives of their family, in the lives of the community.“ The MCAA met on March 23rd, but Street2Ivy’s proposal is still under consideration. SOURCE Yahoo! News If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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