JOBS AT PRESTIGIOUS COMPANIES. CAROLINE:
I AM INTERESTED IN, WHERE NEXT? YOU ARE BUILDING THIS PHILOSOPHY
THROUGHOUT. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS? >> WE KNOW THE ISSUE DOESN’T
EXIST ONLY AT CORNELL. AND SO, ONE GOAL IS TO EXPAND TO
AS MANY UNIVERSITIES AS POSSIBLE TO INCREASE OUR IMPACT.
WE ARE AT GEORGETOWN NOW. WE WILL BE WORKING AT NYU, AND
OTHERS. ROMAINE: TALK ABOUT THE INVESTMENT
PHILOSOPHY OF BLACKGEN. >> MID-CAP GROWTH STOPS, COMPANIES
WE CAN RESEARCH AND GET A GOOD EDGE, BECAUSE WALL STREET
ANALYSTS DON’T COVER THE SPECIFIC STOCKS. CAROLINE:
THESE ARE PUBLIC COMPANIES?
>> YES. OUR STUDENTS AFTER 10 WEEKS,
THEY PITCH TO THE GENERAL BODY, SPONSORS, ANALYST FROM VARIOUS
FIRMS. THEY SIT IN ON THESE PICTURES. OVERALL, IT IS A GREAT
EXPERIENCE TO GET STUDENTS HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE. ROMAINE:
ARE THERE CERTAIN SECTORS ARE THERE CERTAIN SECTORS YOU’RE
FOCUSED ON?
>> CERTAINLY. FOUR SECTORS, HEALTH-CARE,
ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY, AND CONSUMER.
WE SELECT THESE GROUPS OFF OF THE BACKGROUND.
COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS, PREMED STUDENTS, HEALTH CARE,
AND THEY TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO THOSE INTERESTS AND EXPENSES.
CAROLINE: DO TAKE ABOUT A CAPITAL AND PUT
IT INTO LONGER-TERM FUNDS OR GO TO WALL STREET?
>> WE LIVE BY THE MISSION OF PAYING IT FORWARD.
EVENTUALLY, WE HOPE TO PASS DOWN BLACKGEN TO KEEP IT GOING
FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS AT CORNELL, GEORGETOWN, NYU, AND
OTHERS. WE FEEL THE MISSION IS BIGGER
THAN OURSELVES. WE THINK AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE
THIS MODEL OF PAYING IT FORWARD, WE CAN EXPAND
EXPONENTIALLY.
ROMAINE: HOW DO THE KIDS AT SCHOOL VIEW
YOU TWO? THIS IS IMPRESSIVE.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE AS A JUNIOR IN COLLEGE.
WE WERE NOT AS AMBITIOUS AS YOU. >> BEING IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE,
STUDENTS LOOK UP TO YOU. THAT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO
INSPIRE AND PAY IT FORWARD. MANY OF THEM TEXT US AT
MIDNIGHT, CAN YOU HELP ME OUT? CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH AN
INTERVIEW? THINGS LIKE THAT.
THAT’S WHAT WE ARE ALL ABOUT, HELPING.
>> I THINK IT IS ABOUT LETTING DOWN THOSE BARRIERS THAT EXIST.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE
ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO OUR STUDENTS.
THEY CAN CALL, TEXT WHENEVER THEY NEED US.
WE WANT TO BE THERE FOR THEM. ROMAINE:
NOVEMBER 2020, NOAH HARRIS WAS ELECTED STUDENT PRESIDENT OF
HARVARD UNIVERSITY, THE FIRST BLACK MAN TO BE ELECTED BY THE
STUDENT BODY. ROMAINE: THAT CONCLUDES HIS TERM THIS
YEAR. HE SPOKE ABOUT HIS CHALLENGES,
WHERE HE AND HIS CLASSMATES HAVE ADJUSTED TO VIRTUAL
LEARNING. ROMAINE: WE DISCUSSED THE FUTURE THAT HE
SEES FOR HIMSELF AND HIS GENERATION.
>> I AM THE FIRST BLACK MAN ELECTED STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT.
ROMAINE:
WHY IS THAT A MILESTONE?
>> IT IS A BIG DEAL, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RACIAL RECKONING,
2020, SOPER THE HARVARD STUDENT BODY TO ELECTED A BLACK MAN
THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, THROUGH A TOUGH TIME FOR THE
STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY, GOING THROUGH AN ENTIRE VIRTUAL
YEAR, IT IS POWERFUL. CONSIDERING IT HASN’T HAPPENED
BEFORE, THE FACT WE ARE STILL HAVING THIS IS A FIRST.
CAROLINE: HOW ARE YOU EFFECTING CHANGE
WITHIN THE STUDENT BODY, AND HOW DO YOU HOPE TO CHANGE IT
FOR THE GOOD?
>> THERE ARE TWO FACETS, THE RESOURCES MY VICE PRESIDENT AND
I ARE TRYING TO GET TO THE STUDENT BODY.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO DID NOT HAVE ACCESS BECAUSE
THEY HAD TO LEAVE CAMPUS WHEN THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, SO WE RAN A
WAREHOUSE PROJECT AND PROVIDED STORAGE FOR 500 STUDENTS, SO
TRYING TO STAND IN THE GAP OF THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE FOR
THINGS THAT UNIVERSITY CAN PROVIDE AN WHAT WE CAN DO TO
IMPROVE THINGS, TRANSPORTATION, MENTAL HEALTH, CREATING
AWARENESS AROUND DE-STIGMATIZING THINGS, AND
BEING A MENTOR AND BRIDGE FOR OTHER BLACK LEADERS COMING
THROUGH, THAT IS IMPORTANT, SO TRYING TO MAKE SURE EVEN THOUGH
I’M THE FIRST, TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE MORE BLACK LEADERS
COMING.
BLACK LEADERS COMING. ROMAINE: HOW DO YOU DO THAT? NOAH:
IT IS MENTOR SHIP, NOT DISFIGURING ON HOW TO GET ON
THE UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL, GET INTO HARVARD.
WHEN YOU GET ON THE UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL, THIS IS
HOW YOU LEAD, THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE THERE AND BE OF
SERVICE, PUTTING SERVICE ABOVE SELF.
IT IS A NUMBER OF THINGS SUCH AS THAT, AND MAKING SURE THAT
THEY HAVE SOMEONE TO SEE AS A BLUEPRINT COMING UP.
SERVICE, PUTTING SERVICE ABOVE SELF. CAROLINE:
YOU MENTIONED SERVICE FOR SELF GOING FORWARD.
YOU ARE STUDYING GOVERNMENT. WHAT IS IN YOUR FUTURE? NOAH:
I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, A TRUMAN SCHOLAR,
SO I AM SERVICE-ORIENTED, TRYING TO BUILD A BRIDGE FOR
PEOPLE, SO I WANT TO BE A CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY IN MISSISSIPPI
IN THE SOUTH, DOING GREAT WORK TO ADVANCE PROGRESS AND MAKE
LIVES BETTER FOR THE PEOPLE THERE AND FOR BLACK PEOPLE
ESPECIALLY. ROMAINE: YOUR FROM MISSISSIPPI. NOAH:
I AM. ROMAINE: THERE IS A LOT OF HISTORY WITH
REGARDS TO CIVIL RIGHTS. WE HAVE COME ALONG WAY.
WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN WHERE WE NEED TO BE, SO MAY NOT DOWN
SOUTH. NOAH: I THINK IT IS ONE DAY AT A
TIME, WAS ACTION, ONE POLICY AT A TIME.
IT’S NOT ABOUT PERFECTION, BUT I THINK IT IS ABOUT PROGRESS.
IF WE THINK WITH THE MIND AND CONTINUE TO TAKE THE STEPS FROM
A LEGAL AND POLICY PERSPECTIVE, WE WILL BE BETTER OFF.
IT TAKES ALL OF US. LIKE THIS POWER 100.
IT TAKES ALL THE ENERGY, TALENT, DRIVE, NETWORKS, BUT I
AM HONORED TO BE ON THIS LIST AND PART OF THIS GROUP.
NOT TOO MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO LEAD DURING THE
WEEKEND AND HOP ON OVER HERE, SO IT IS AN HONOR AND I HOPE TO
CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS PATH. CAROLINE:
A YOUNG BLACK MAN, A YOUNG BLACK WOMAN IN MISSISSIPPI
LOOKING AT YOU WONDERING HOW YOU GOT THERE WITH THE ENERGY,
NETWORK, DETERMINATION, WHAT IS IT LIKE TO GET INTO YOUR SHOES
IN HARVARD? NOAH: I THINK THE FIRST STEP IS
REALIZING THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE ME.
YOU CAN BE YOU, BUT ALSO JUST STARTING OUT. DON’T WAIT.
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO AND ACHIEVE, YOU HAVE THE TOOLS TO
START WORKING TOWARDS THAT, SO BEGIN NOW. START RAISING MONEY.
START SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY. STAR IMPLEMENT AND THAT CHANGE
YOU WANT FROM THE GROUND LEVEL IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
I JUST SAY DON’T WAIT, BECAUSE YOU CAN START NOW.
CAROLINE: COMING UP, A PRODUCER AND AN
ACTRESS, BUT NOW, A FINAL LOOK