Jasmine N. Chigbu & Minorities to Majorities
Success is where preparation and opportunity meet
Back in high school I remember receiving a thick packet with a long list of websites where I could find college scholarships. I spent about a week going to each site and making notes of their due dates and qualifications to see which ones I would eventually apply for. It was tedious, but I knew it would pay off in the end.
While that scholarship search may seem like the norm to some, there are plenty of students who may never receive such a packet or even think they are eligible to receive money to go to college. What’s even worse is that some students are totally unaware of the resources available since no one has shown them.
In this new technology age we live in, it’s important to reach students in a way they can easily grasp and understand. Almost every student has a phone these days, so why not put valuable information that can impact their future in the palm of their hands? That’s where Minorities to Majorities comes in.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
First & Last Name
Why did you decide to start Minorities to Majorities?
I started my app because I was very passionate about finding a way to promote diversity and inclusion through opportunity. However, I found access to various opportunities were very limited or not very well promoted amongst underrepresented groups.
When I was applying to colleges and while in undergrad, I did not feel like anyone really informed me about the various scholarship, internship and fellowship opportunities available for me to advance my educational and professional career. And the fact of the matter is that you can’t apply for scholarships, internships, or fellowships you don’t know exist.
So I wanted to help develop an easy student-friendly platform for underrepresented students to use to access various educational and professional opportunities. I chose to targeted “minority populations, including ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ, and international students because they are often left out of main stream media representations of success and power. The goal of the mobile app is to promote diversity and inclusion through opportunity by providing underrepresented minority, female, LGBTQ and international students with information about various scholarships, internships, and fellowships in order to advance their career. I hope this tool will permit for the promotion of diversity in every aspect of life including career and education.
What does Minorities to Majorities mean to you?
As a woman, a person of color and the child of first-generation immigrants, this venture is very personal to me. That is why I am passionate about using the Minorities to Majorities App a symbol of empowerment. In a time when ethnic minorities, women, and other underrepresented groups are feeling minimized, helpless or forgotten this app is a tool to give us power and agency. The power to become more than what the stereotypes tell us we can be, more than a statistic, and more than just average. I hope this app will inspire others to become leaders, movers and revolutionaries in our own lives, communities and careers. I want underrepresented groups to realize that there is beauty and uniqueness in their own story, a story which should be shared with the world. I also hope this app gives others hope that there will be a tomorrow better than today as long as we never give up the fight and we never stop trying to achieve what others have called the impossible.
I hope to use this app as a form of community engagement, support, and transformation by reinforcing positive and strong images and stories of minorities, women, LGBTQ and immigrants who are making strides in their careers. I hope the positive images of minorities will help reshape the way the media portrays these underrepresented groups and how these groups see themselves.
What have you had to overcome in order to achieve success?
I have had to overcome many self-imposed feelings of failure and my own fear. This time last year I was working a job I hated which left me feeling completely depleted and uninspired. After having just graduated from Duke University a few months before, I felt I should have been living in a big city, with a six-figure paying job, but that wasn’t my situation. Although I was unhappy with my job, I enjoyed its security and was afraid of leaving for fear that things may not work out. I had to really come to terms with the fact that everyone’s story is their own and I cannot compare my process or life journey to anyone else’s.
Last year around this time in church I heard a sermon, its main message was “The testimony is just as important as the miracle”. Hearing this made me realize that I was focusing so much on the end game, like what job I would have and when I would start making money. I wasn’t truly understanding the process God was taking me through in order to reach the level of success He has already destined for me. Consequently, as I began to fully and completely immerse myself in the will of God and ask Him to fill me with purpose and release me from feelings of fear, my life began to transform. Thus the rough patch I was experiencing became my motivation for creating my app and the inspiration behind the app’s mission.
The testimony is just as important as the miracle.
What does it mean to be a black business owner?
It’s very important to be a black female business owner because I think it gives me and our community power over own our stories, our experiences and our lives. Having a black owned business allows me to use my experiences as a black woman to better serve minority populations since I share many of the same experiences as the community which I am trying to serve. Thus owning a business gives me the agency to shape my mission, my purpose and efforts to better the black community because I am invested in them financially, spiritually and emotionally. Far too often we patronize companies which do not value black lives, black opinions or black narratives because they are simply providing a service without caring how that service affects our community. But I, as a black owned business, hope that my services are not only an investment in the community but also shaped by the needs of minorities so that together Minorities to Majorities, LLC and the community can work to accomplish common goals.
What advice do you have for people who are ready to follow their dreams but are hesitating?
I would say hesitation is the best way to cheat yourself out of achieving your dreams. There is no perfect time to start a business, create something or follow your passion. The best time is now. A lot of people hesitate out of fear of failing but they need to realize that failure is a normal part of life. I’ve learned more from my failures than from my successes because when I succeed I don’t know exactly what went right, I just know everything came together. But when I fail I know exactly what went wrong, I know exactly what I won’t do next time, and I am constantly brainstorming new ways to improve. Life is too short to hesitate, and that’s why I have started to live by the mentality, “Better an oops, than what if,” and I encourage others to do the same. I would say work towards you goals or venture a little bit every day and you’ll see God will allow everything to fall into place.
Hesitation is the best way to cheat yourself out of achieving your dreams.
Bragging Rights
I am currently a full-time graduate student at Duke University. I’m juggling running my app along with school and running an Instagram fashion and lifestyle blog. My fashion & lifestyle blog, @Jas.My.Life, is inspired by my life as a tall fashionista and centered around empowering women and others through fashion and travel!
Want to contact Jasmine for more information?
Learn more about the Minorities to Majorities app at MinoritiesToMajories.com. You can also shoot her an email at jasmine@MinoritiesToMajorities.com.
For instant updates on newly added professional opportunities, and to keep up with Minorities to Majorities, follow the app on Twitter via @MTMajorities, Instagram via @MinoritiesToMajoritiesApp and also Like their Facebook Page.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Do you know a Black Creator or Tastemaker? Of course you do! Let me know in the comments so I can feature him or her this year!
If you like this post please tap the 💚 below so other people have a higher chance of finding and reading it!
