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YBP Peer Spotlight: Kristyna Jones

  • By: Fredric
  • November 6, 2008
  • 1 comments

Continuing our series, let’s meet an analyst who is trying to get her blog and business off the ground while juggling her daily 8-5. Today, YBPGuide introduces Kristyna Jones.

What is your occupation, full title and work week hours?

I am a Senior Development Analyst for Enterprise Community Investments. Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. is a leading real estate investment services company for affordable housing and community development. We provide partners with development capital via equity and debt products, and expertise in community development practices. Enterprise is the industry leader in green affordable housing. I work 40-45 hours a week.

How old are you?

Kristyna Jones
Kristyna Jones

Old, lol. I just turned 31.

If you had to rank the following with regards to importance in your life, how would you (successful career, spiritual clarity, starting your own family, financially well-off)?

Since I graduated from undergrad in 1998, my focus has whole-heartedly been on my career. In the last year, it has become more apparent to me that spiritual clarity and companionship/starting a family are more important right now. I don’t think they can be separated.

For those seriously dating someone: Do you see marriage plans in your future? What makes you sure (or not sure) the person you are with is the one?

I have been in a serious relationship for the last two years, and were both on the marriage track. However, we have been long distance for half of that time and it has been very difficult. Only time will tell if we will remain on the marriage in the future track.

What is one piece of advice you constantly rely upon when making tough career decisions?

One piece of advice, is don’t get caught up in the prestige of a title or working for certain companies. Really think about what types of skills you hope to acquire and what kind of tasks you enjoy. A smaller organization often affords its staff with greater opportunity to take on additional responsibilities.

For those who have been (or currently in) grad school: Why did you choose to go to graduate school?

I finished graduate school last year. I went the New School’s Milano School for Urban Policy and Management in New York. I must say it was the best choice I ever made. Originally, I pursued getting an MBA but in the end chose to pursue a “non-traditional” program geared toward those interested in community development, non-profit management, and social enterprise–sort of like a MBA for community development.

What has been your greatest triumph since ‘coming into your own’?

My greatest triumph is finally working on some of my own entrepreneurial endeavors which are going quite well. I have been so focused on working for the right “best practice” community development organization. While that has afforded me significant insight in some of the challenges of creating successful community development related projects, it has also allowed me to deny my interest in my own social entrepreneurial ideas. Right now, my blog, Cribnotes, is taking off and generating some buzz. Also, I am working on a skin care business in which a significant portion of the sales will go to groups working to empower young women.

If you’d like to be considered for the YBP Peer Spotlight, please contact us.

Posted in: News

YBP Peer Spotlight: Anjuan Simmons

  • By: Fredric
  • October 30, 2008
  • 1 comments

Sorry that we’ve been on hiatus, but I guess the excitement of the times has pulled me away from this series. Fear not, as we’ll meet today a proud, hard-working brotha working on his MBA. Let’s meet Anjuan Simmons.

What is your occupation, full title and work week hours?
Until very recently, I was an executive at a Fortune Global 500 company that is the largest consulting firm in the world. My primary responsibilities involved designing and building technical architectures for our clients and project management. I left my company in August of 2008 after eleven years of service to enroll in the MBA program at Texas A&M university.

Regarding work week hours, if you count time working at the client site, I worked 50 to 60 hours a week. However, with the advent of push email devices like the Blackberry product, my working time was often extended by an additional 10 to 15 hours per week even when working off-site.

Anjuan Simmons

How old are you?
I am 33 years old.

If you had to rank the following with regards to importance in your life, how would you (successful career, spiritual clarity, starting your own family, financially well-off)?
I would rank them in this order: spiritual clarity, starting my own family, financially well-off, and successful career. Spiritual clarity is first because without a correct understanding of the divine, then all the other elements of life become out of focus. Only by maintaining a healthy spiritual life can a person make the necessary actions and sacrifices to take care of family, finances, and a career. I have started my own family having been married for six years and having three children with my wife and their health and happiness trumps the often temporary benefits of money and a career. However, we do live in the real world so it is important to me to have the ability to support my family. Therefore, adequate time needs to be allocated to protect my earning potential.

Why did you decide to get married at your age? What is the single most important aspect to consider when deciding to get married?
I got married at the age of 27, and I decided to get married for three reasons. First, I realized from a young age that marriage is a reflection of Gods’ relationship to His people, and it is serious business. I understood that once I married someone, I would have to stay with that person and be completely faithful to that person until one of us died. So, I did not rush to get married and passed over many women who were great people but not worthy of such a huge commitment. Second, I did everything that I wanted to do as a single man. I completed my degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, built my career, traveled the world, dated various women, enjoyed my hobbies, etc. Therefore, once I got married I never thought, “I wish I had done XYZ before I got married, but now I can’t”. Finally, I met the one woman who made me forget about all other women. I lost interest in other women because she surpassed them all. During conversations with or about other women, her name kept coming up. She was the standard by which I judged all other women. By God’s grace, I married this woman, and she is still the most compelling, beautiful, godly, and fascinating person that I have ever met. I encourage single people to understand the seriousness of marriage, live a full life as a single person, and marry the person who meets your superlatives.

The single most important aspect to consider when deciding to get married is whether you can make a total commitment to the person who you are considering marrying. Can you be totally committed whether the person becomes poor, overweight, disfigured, or goes through any number of hard times? If you feel that you can make an unconditional commitment to that person based on the essentials of who they are, then you may be ready to marry that person.

What is one piece of advice you constantly rely upon when making tough career decisions?
When making tough career decisions I take the approach of gather facts and then gather feedback. Tough career decisions often involve emotions, but gathering facts helps to avoid the impairments to judgment that emotions often inflict. This helps to get a “big picture” view of the decision instead of focusing on individual concerns. Once the facts are gathered, then you are better positioned to present them to people whose judgment you respect. Carefully consider their feedback and then make the best decision that you can.

Why did you choose to go to graduate school?
I chose to go to graduate school to add depth to my business skills. I have a very technical undergraduate degree (electrical engineering), and I entered the consulting world to gain business exposure while still working on highly technical projects. I wanted to further refine my skills in the essentials of business such as accounting, marketing, management, and finance by leaving the workplace to enter an MBA program. By developing deep capabilities in business as well as technology, I hope to become better prepared to achieve my long term career goal: become CIO of a Fortune 500 company.

What has been your greatest triumph since ‘coming into your own’?
My greatest triumph since ‘coming into my own’ has been building a family with my beautiful wife. We have three children who are ages 3, 2, and 9 months, and we have made sacrifices to make sure that we can spend as much time with them as possible. Although we may not be able to progress as quickly in our careers as those without children, we take comfort in raising competent and successful kids.

If you’d like to be considered for the YBP Peer Spotlight, please contact us.

Posted in: News

YBP Peer Spotlight: Takara Bullock

  • By: Fredric
  • October 9, 2008
  • 0 comments

We’re everywhere…and it’s great. Today’s weekly edition of peer spotlight reaches all the way on the other side of the world to find a fellow professional in the great land of Japan. Today, let’s meet Takara Bullock.

What is your occupation, full title and work week hours?
I work as an Executive Recruiter and specialize in E-Commerce and Digital Media in Tokyo. I recruit primarily for international companies operating or entering Japan. On average, I work from 48-50 hours per week.

How old are you?
27 years old

Takara Bullock

If you had to rank the following with regards to importance in your life, how would you (successful career, spiritual clarity, starting your own family, financially well-off)?
I recently married and as a result, my priorities have changed drastically. Before marrying, my career came first and working 12-14 hours/day was the norm. However, putting my career before everything is a tough path to walk and I learned many lessons from that, the most important one being to always trust that God will provide for you– no matter how much you want to control things. Once I married, I had to rearrange my priorities and I am so happy that I did. God, my family, and my career is the order, which required a drastic change in work hours. But, it is truly worth it and I am blessed.

For those who are married: Why did you decide to get married at your age? What is the single most important aspect to consider when deciding to get married?
I chose to marry my husband because he is a spiritual leader. I was drawn to him because of his love for constantly challenging himself to become a better person and his passion for Jesus Christ. We worked together and I was adamant about not dating a colleague. However, the more I learned about him, the more I was convinced that what we had was definitely something different. For me, the single most important aspect for marrying my husband was his leadership ability and his walk with God. I like security and I know that as long as we both have God, everything else will work out.

What is one piece of advice you constantly rely upon when making tough career decisions?
Every job has hills and valleys– what really builds your career is riding out the tough times and hanging in there. In my line of work, I often see candidates making career decision based solely on their emotions, which is evident in their CV filled with ‘career moves’ gone bad.

For those who are not considering grad school: Why did you decide to not pursue a graduate degree?
I am planning to pursue an MBA when I return to the US, but that will be 4-5 more years. I have chosen not to pursue a graduate degree thus far because I think experience is most important for me at this time. I am thankful that my current career provides insight into the details and careers of executives and the choices they have made to help guide their careers.

What has been your greatest triumph since ‘coming into your own’?
My greatest triumph thus far would have to be my residing in Japan, and becoming a wife and career woman. I initially came to Japan as a Fulbright Fellow to conduct graduate research for a year. But once the research year ended I decided to extend my stay here, it has been one of the best decisions of my life.

Want to be interviewed for YBP Peer Spotlight? Simply contact us and we’ll hit you back.

Posted in: News

YBP Company Spotlight: Head Strong Condoms

  • By: Fredric
  • October 2, 2008
  • 4 comments

In addition to our peers who are changing the world either through illustration or executive leadership, YBP was able to reach out to an entrepreneur whose mission literally saves lives. Today, lets meet Kirk Manuel, a brother from Arkansas who started Headstrong Condoms, the first African-American owned condom company.

Kirk Manuel

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your company.
My name is Kirk Manuel. I am an African-American male from Arkansas who started this company in 2006 with hopes to try to control STD’s and the HIV/AIDS virus which is taking our community by storm.

How and why did you decide to start a company focused on safe sex and contraception?
We started this company because I had a classmate that was arrested for knowingly exposing women to the HIV/AIDS virus.

What is your ideal goal with this company, financially and community wise?
We don’t have a financial goal, but the community goal is to eliminate and lower the new cases of STD’s and the HIV/AIDS virus.

What are the biggest hurdles you are finding with getting the word out> about your mission and product?
[Probably], lack of media attention, advertising, and distribution.

I’ve read articles about how Black teenagers who smoke weed are more likely to have unprotected sex. I’ve also seen the recent numbers published through CNN and other outlets about the epidemic of HIV and AIDS in the Black community. What can we do, as responsible community members, to help combat this disease and taboo-labeling in our community? Is it as simple as having frank discussions with young people?

Head Strong Condoms

Head Strong Condoms

I believe that we need to continue to educate and also show the reality of [how] AIDS and HIV affects the public and make access [to] contraception easier. [T]he communities that are affected the most [are] poor. [T]here are [very] few health departments in poor communities and [almost] none in the rural communities.

[M]ost people have to stretch $400.00 – $600.00 per month, leaving very little money for what they feel is a none necessity item, such as condoms. I know that the health department gives away free [condoms], but most [people] don’t have cars or the gas money to go [and] get them. We are willing to work with the Department of Health to place people on a mailing list [and] send condoms via mail, monthly or biweekly.

More information about Head Strong Condoms can also be obtained from Stephanie Ellis, the company’s Marketing & Advertising Director.

Posted in: Featured

YBP Peer Spotlight: Dino Henderson

  • By: Fredric
  • September 25, 2008
  • 6 comments

We’re going to switch it up with our weekly series of spotlights and talk to the man who has graced us with the lovely illustrations that have re-branded our community. Dino Henderson is the creative genius behind the new YBP Guide icons and is also the featured artist in the main sidebar on the homepage. I got a chance to ask him a few questions in email to dive into his mind and artistic world.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into illustration

Dino Henderson

My name is Dino Henderson and I’m a freelance/stock image illustrator and a product designer in Arkansas. In my free time I love to sketch, discuss culture, study and discuss Biblical apologetics and doctrine and research obscure historical facts.

I was introduced to illustration at a young age. My uncle is a sports illustrator doing freelance work for Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and many college athletic programs. After he had helped to hone my art skills, he would pass me some of his excess work. That was my training ground.

What was the inspiration behind some of the Black cartoons, i.e. the ones used on YBPGuide?

Overall, the inspiration for all of the images in the Truth & Vector series come from a desire to combat the stereotypes and perceptions about race that are so pervasive in our society.

The YBP Guide mascot really captures the heart of what this series is about. What better way to condemn the old watermelon and chicken sambo than to show a well dressed, intelligent and socially aware black youth in staunch rejection? Victory is sweeter than any watermelon and deeper than any fried chicken.

What kind of advice would you give to others looking to get into Illustration? Any specific tools or websites?

If your serious about making illustration into a career, I would suggest first contacting several illustrators and asking them what their work day is like. Ask them what to expect in respects to the market, pay, clients and hours per week.

If you feel illustration is still for you, I’d definitely encourage some post-secondary education. Art institutes are great if you can afford them, but don’t feel you have to dish out 40K/yr to get some good instruction. I went to 2 1/2 yrs of technical college myself to be equipped to do what I’m doing now. There I learned Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, the latter of which I use to create all of my images on iStockphoto. If you are already proficient in these programs, you may think about sending your work to a stockhouse like Getty Images or iStockphoto. These websites will display your work and you will receive royalties for every image purchased.

Is there any long-term goal or idea behind your work? What would be an ideal scenario?

In the mean time I really hope to continue expanding the themes and styles that I’ve already established on iStockphoto while continuing to find new subject matter and styles in which to execute them. As far as long term, I hope to post up my personal website apart from iStockphoto which will advertise me as a freelance illustrator for hire. I’ve been doing freelance jobs here and there, but have stayed so busy with stock work that I haven’t made enough time to properly advertise my interest in freelance. If all goes as planned my personal site, iscreamcreative.com, will drop by early fall ‘09.

If you’re interested in having your work (illustrations, photography, sculpture, print art) shared as a feature of the YBP Artist series, contact us!

Posted in: News

YBP Peer Spotlight: Frava Burgess

  • By: Fredric
  • September 18, 2008
  • 1 comments

As with our previous peer spotlights, this series aims to highlight the accomplishments of everyday colleagues. We are everywhere, and our accomplishments are plentiful. Sometimes inspiration is as simple as shining a light to this fact. Today, let’s meet Frava Burgess.

What is your occupation, full title and work week hours?
How old are you?
If you had to rank the following with regards to importance in your life, how would you (successful career, spiritual clarity, starting your own family, financially well-off)?

Frava Burgess
Frava Burgess

I am the Midday News Producer at Chicagoland’s Television (CLTV). I work from 5am to 1pm Monday through Friday. It took me more than a year and a half to get off the weekend shift, so I am quite grateful. At 25, I am really just embarking on my career — so to have already paid my dues and been rewarded accordingly, is truly a blessing.

Right now, my career is my primary focus — but the most important aspect of my life is family. You can always find another job, but you cannot find another family. I place loved ones above all successes and financial gains associated with my career — though having some money would be nice in setting up a comfortable life for my future family.

For those who are single: Why do you think it has been difficult for you to take that next big step to marriage? What do you enjoy about being single?

I truly believe in the mantra: “if it’s meant to be, it will be.” I am newly single and learning more and more about myself everyday. A year ago, I never could have imagined myself without my significant other. But dreams change . . . as do people. That’s life. I loved every moment of my four-year relationship, but now it is time for me to grow as “Frava” without the “and”.

I don’t think it will be difficult for me to take a leap into marriage — I have never invested in a relationship with the intention of it ending. But I believe I’m supposed to be single at this moment, on this day, and I just have faith that I will soon have the kind of loving relationship everyone deserves.

What is one piece of advice you constantly rely upon when making tough career decisions?

You have to follow your heart. You have a long time to work, and most people don’t reach the end of their lives and say, “I wish I would have worked more.” Instead, they concentrate on the fulfilling moments — taking the job that gave them more family time, jumping into a career with less stability because they loved the craft, finding more time to travel and become a member of the community.

Never be afraid to push yourself, explore your potential, interview for the seemingly impossible career opportunity. What’s the worse that can happen? They say “no”? Well . . . maybe, just maybe, they’ll say yes.

For those who have been (or currently in) grad school: Why did you choose to go to graduate school?

Attending graduate school is one of the best decisions I have made. For me, there was no question. I wanted to acquire knowledge greater than my own, be part of change in my career, challenge myself to think beyond my immediate surroundings. It wasn’t easy, though. Moving to Chicago on my own, enrolling in a rigorous program and embarking in a new career field was intimidating, downright frightening. But then I remembered, no great leaps in history are made by people who shy away from the unknown.

Want to be interviewed for YBP Peer Spotlight? Simply contact us and we’ll hit you back.

Posted in: News

YBP Peer Spotlight: Rashad Morgan

  • By: Fredric
  • September 11, 2008
  • 1 comments

As with our previous peer spotlights, this series aims to highlight the accomplishments of everyday colleagues. We are everywhere, and our accomplishments are plentiful. Sometimes inspiration is as simple as shining a light to this fact. Today, let’s meet Rashad Morgan.

What is your occupation, full title and work week hours?
I am an associate attorney at Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione. I typically work 50 to 60 hours a week.

How old are you? I am 27 years old.

Rashad Morgan
Rashad Morgan

If you had to rank the following with regards to importance in your life, how would you (successful career, spiritual clarity, starting your own family, financially well-off)?
First and foremost, I would have to rank spiritual clarity as number one. As I have gotten older, I have realized the importance of having a relationship with the Lord. There are just so many things that happen that are not just by coincidence, and are truly through the grace of God. I have been blessed so far and I would like to grow closer to the Lord. Secondly, starting my own family. I have been married for two years now and it has been great. I relish the opportunity to pass down jewels of wisdom to my own children, just like my parents did for me. Third would be a successful career. With success, the money will come. But if you’re only working for the money, it is definitely more of a chore.

For those who are married: Why did you decide to get married at your age? What is the single most important aspect to consider when deciding to get married?
I decided to get married at my age because I truly believed I had found the person with whom I was meant to spend the rest of my life. I did not feel the need to continue to search when I had a person that believed in me, shared my goals (spiritual, financial, etc.), and ultimately made me a better person. The single most important aspect to consider when deciding to get married to me was finding someone that provides you with balance and support. Someone that supported me at all times and trust me. I believe that some people confuse a difference of opinion with a lack of support, but there is definitely a difference. You are not always going to agree. However, I believe it takes a special person to support someone, even in those times of difference. I believe that this quality goes hand-in-hand with love. If you are with someone, and you can’t be true to yourself or that person does not support you, getting married is not going to change that.

What is one piece of advice you constantly rely upon when making tough career decisions?
One significant piece of advice that I received that sticks with me is to not be afraid to take risks, and do not let someone else decide your destiny. This advice has guided me when making a decision on whether to accept a job as an engineer when I graduated college or to go to law school. Ultimately, I decided to go to law school. It wasn’t the safest choice. There was no guarantee that I would have a job waiting on me when I finished, but I was willing to take that risk and it worked out for me. But it is important to not always take the safest route. If you have goals, do not be afraid to take a risk to help you achieve those goals. Everything may not work out as you planned, but each experience is one from which you can learn.

For those who have been (or currently in) grad school: Why did you choose to go to graduate school?
I chose to go to law school mainly because I knew that I did not want to work as an engineer all of my life. While I admired the technology and science, I knew that it was a field that was not for me. I wanted more options, and I wanted to also be able to have more control over my career path. I felt that becoming an attorney specializing in intellectual property, I would have more opportunities. In addition, having a JD opens doors in other fields that may have been tougher to get into with just my Chemical Engineering degree. So ultimately, law school provided me with the most opportunity to utilize my skills.

What has been your greatest triumph since ‘coming into your own’?
Well, I would have to say my greatest triumph so far has been being a part of a winning trial team. I was given a great deal of responsibility as a first year associate, and my contributions were valuable and recognized. It was important for me to be a contributing member of the firm, and I believe that I made my mark.

Want to be interviewed for YBP Peer Spotlight? Simply contact us and we’ll hit you back.

Posted in: News

YBP Peer Spotlight: Alicia Wyche

  • By: Fredric
  • August 28, 2008
  • 1 comments

As with our last spotlight, this series aims to highlight the accomplishments of everyday colleagues. We are everywhere, and our accomplishments are plentiful. Sometimes inspiration is as simple as shining a light to this fact. Today, let’s meet Alicia Wyche.

What is your occupation, full title and work week hours?
I work in education at a school that is dually “owned”. It is a CPS school which also has a partnership with the organization Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). I’m a mentor teacher at the school (Dodge) where I teach one block (2.5 hours) of 8th grade language arts with a graduate student. It is my responsibility to coach and supervise them through a full-year teaching residency. I am also Dodge’s curriculum coordinator. Finally, I am also one of 3 project director’s (science component) for AUSL’s long-term curriculum project. Typically, I work (this includes these positions and grad student responsibilities) about 80-90 hours per week. Approximately 55 hrs each week at the school, 9 hours of class, and another 20-30 hours at the office and library (or sometimes home if I’m really sick of these other places).

Alicia Wyche

How old are you? I’m 26.

If you had to rank the following with regards to importance in your life, how would you (successful career, spiritual clarity, starting your own family, financially well-off)?
Spiritual clarity (most important), successful career, financially well-off, and starting my own family (least important)

For those who are single: Why do you think it has been difficult for you to take that next big step to marriage? What do you enjoy about being single?
It’s difficult for me to think much about marriage because of my career- I’ve made it almost all-consuming. I’m not sure that I enjoy being single; however, I don’t dislike it either. It’s simply what feels right for me at the moment. I’d like to think that I’d be open to a relationship if/when the right person comes along.

What is one piece of advice you constantly rely upon when making tough career decisions?
I’m not sure that I have a particular piece of advice that I rely upon. I know that I always take time to pray, talk with my family and think before coming to any sort of decision.

For those who have been (or currently in) grad school: Why did you choose to go to graduate school?
I chose to go to graduate school because I felt that without this degree it would be difficult to affect change on larger scale levels (state, national, international). A phd will provide me with the skills (and credentials) necessary to conduct and produce research needed on our most understudied, underprivileged populations. I also simply enjoy school and was awarded full scholarships (both times- masters and phd) which made the decision easier.

What has been your greatest triumph since ‘coming into your own’?
Finding peace and acceptance with myself.

Want to be interviewed for YBP Peer Spotlight? Simply contact us and we’ll hit you back.

Posted in: News

YBP Peer Spotlight: Stephon Watson

  • By: Fredric
  • August 21, 2008
  • 7 comments

YBP Peer Spotlight is a new series that highlights the accomplishments of everyday colleagues. In the world of negativity and cynicism, sometimes the smallest inspiration can come from garnering a new perspective. Today, let’s meet Stephon Watson.

Stephon Watson

What is your occupation, full title and work week hours?
I am the Program Manager for the Windows Pre-Installation Enviroment(WinPE) and the OEM Pre-Installation Kit in the Windows Core Operating System Division. I work 40+ hours week, from 8-5

How old are you? 25

If you had to rank the following with regards to importance in your life, how would you (successful career, spiritual clarity, starting your own family, financially well-off)?

1. Spiritual Clarity

2. Starting my own family

3. Financially well off

4. Successful career

For those who are single: Why do you think it has been difficult for you to take that next big step to marriage?
I was engaged, but the direction the Lord was taking my life didn’t allow for that final step to be taken. Now, I’m focused on the purposes God has for me in my church and in my businesses.

What do you enjoy about being single?
Being single allows me to devote more time to other areas of my life, especially and specifically on spiritual growth and ministry opportunities.

What is one piece of advice you constantly rely upon when making tough career decisions?
It’s not about the money-it’s about how the next move fits into your overall life goals.

For those who are not considering grad school: Why did you decide to not pursue a graduate degree?
At the time of graduation, I was tired of engineering and I realized that my passion lies in business and entrepreneurship. I am considering getting my MBA, but I am currently working on building up credible work experience, as well asacquire real world skills in business adminstration with my side projects.

What has been your greatest triumph since ‘coming into your own’?
Buying my first home and then acquiring a rental property (an apartment building in Chicago). I have taken the first few steps to living a blessed life.

Want to be interviewed for YBP Peer Spotlight? Simply contact us and we’ll hit you back.

Posted in: News

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