Seeds of Fortune Inc. is a nonprofit EdTech platform allowing young women of color to garner college scholarships and grants, as well as teaching financial literacy and career development skills. Students have garnered $15Million in college scholarships and grants.
The Seeds of Fortune Inc. Telementor Fellowship program will provide 4 undergraduate students a year long leadership development opportunity from May 2022 to May 2023. Each fellow will receive a $1500 stipend supported by The Lupoff/Stevens Family Office. The Lupoff/Stevens Family Office is committed to achieving a just and sustainable world by inspiring, equipping, and activating emerging leaders. The Family’s investment mandate and policy objectives support social and climate equity and justice.
Telementor Fellows will have the ability to become highly-trained in college admission, financial literacy and digital education skill set. This is essential as education becomes more digital it will allow them to connect with students of color in new and imaginative ways.
Why provide students BIPOC Telementors?
In most states, there is a large and growing gap between the students of color and teachers of color ratio. Efforts to increase teacher diversity have led to marginal increases 12% to 17% over 3 decades. A decline in the percentage of BIPOC teachers in many large urban districts and the lower retention rates for teachers of color across the country.
Meet Our Fellows:
Head Telementor Fellow: Angelique Pompee' NYU'23
Angelique Pompee was first introduced to Seeds of Fortune when she became a Seed Scholar in high school. Seeing the doors Seeds had opened for girls of color, Angelique joined the team as the Head Telementor for the College Leadership Program to be a part of the impact. Being born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she witnessed the inaccessibility of college application information and the lack of financial resources. She has been mentoring high-school girls across the U.S for over two years now. She has also worked with various enterprises to bring business tools and education initiatives to marginalized communities. She is a rising senior at New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, concentrating in Management and Marketing with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship.
Telementor Fellow: Nia Desiree Spaulding' FAMU'22
Nia Desiree Spaulding is currently enrolled in Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English Language/Literature with a minor in Education. Nia’s passions include holistic wellness, community, travel, and learning. Her goals for the future include teaching internationally and opening a charter school in her hometown, New York City, NY. Nia was the only student in her graduating class to attend an HBCU, and since being at FAMU she has been published in FAMU’s CaKe Literary Magazine, won second place in the 2018 Spring Writing Contest, and maintained grades to be Dean’s List.
Telementor Fellow: Mariam Saleem' Baruch College' 24
Mariam Saleem is a first generation college student majoring in Psychology at Baruch College in New York. On campus, she is a part of the Women of Color Leadership program supporting and curating a fostering environment for fellow Women of Color in her college. As a Seeds of Fortune Telementor she hopes to be a helping hand that can help the future generation of women to excel in their college journey starting with the rigorous process of applying to college. Just like women of color before her, she hopes to make a mark and a difference for these Seeds of Fortune members in this new journey of their life.
Telementor Fellow: Sophie Varma' Pitzer College' 25
Sophie Varma is a New York native that grew up in Ethiopia. She is currently an African history major with an interest in pursuing a profession in public health. Sophie has worked as a Social Media Assistance for Pitzer College Residence Life and JUST HUMAN PRODUCTIONS.