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Alumni pride is more than a colorway and a sweatshirt that still fits; it’s a blueprint for lifting the next class higher. We open with real community energy—VIP raffle tickets, an all‑black affair, and an HBCU family night at the Wonder Chamber that doubles as a toy drive—then move into the stories that make those events matter: health wins, campus roots, and the alumni who keep the circle strong.

Our guest, a Wilberforce graduate who served on the National Alumni Association board and mentored current students, takes us inside her leap from quiet campus days to building a national staffing firm. Selected for Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women program, she breaks down what an accelerated MBA taught her about financials, marketing, customer fit, and pitch craft—and how that training now powers Lowry Staffing’s growth across legal, engineering, finance, and healthcare roles. She’s hiring interns, too, and the opportunities are remote, open to HBCU students nationwide.

We trade memories that still teach—professors like Dr. Grisby, Dr. Shittu, and Dr. Callender, snow days on the hill, and the choir reunion that snapped back into harmony as if no time had passed. Along the way, we discuss self-care and diabetes awareness, because leadership starts with taking care of your health. For students heading home for the holidays, you’ll hear firm, loving advice on valuing family, embracing structure, and seeking guidance from people who’ve walked the path.

If you care about HBCU history, career pipelines, and practical ways to help students thrive, you’ll feel right at home here. Tap in for the raffle and toy drive, share this with a student who needs an internship link, and then subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families and future leaders can find us. Your share might be the bridge someone’s been waiting for.

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What happens when a sharp-dressed dreamer can’t find clothes that fit—and decides to fix it for everyone? We sit with Rod, the founder of Upsize Fashion and a working comedian, to trace the leap from a Vegas fashion convention to a full-service menswear store at Rolling Oaks Mall. He opens up about starting with big and tall, expanding to small through 5X, and building a true one-stop shop: suits, tuxedos, polos, denim, Stacy Adams shoes, True Religion, and a fedora wall that crowns any look. It’s retail with purpose, including custom orders up to 8X and fast wedding turnarounds that make big moments feel effortless.

Then we step into the heartbeat of culture: the Black Friday All Black Affair with live music and comics, a multicultural celebration designed to get the city in the same room. Rod shares the lineup, the energy, and a challenge to show up—plus veteran discounts, a four-ticket raffle tabled together with champagne, and Monday comedy nights at Dave & Buster’s featuring food deals and parking support. Behind the laughs is a human story of loss and resilience; after his mother passed, comedy became a way to heal and help others breathe again.

All of this fuels something bigger: our HBCU Community Awards and youth programs. This year’s theme, Coming to America, invites bold style and cultural pride, and Upsize Fashion is ready to outfit couples head to toe, even matching gowns to suits. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to support local, invest in students, and look your best while doing it, this is it. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a fit and a laugh, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Your presence matters—see you at Rolling Oaks Mall and on Black Friday.

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Doors don’t open by accident—they open because communities decide to turn the handle. We celebrate student achievements, shine a light on HBCU pathways, and share tangible ways to show up, from buying a book that centers Black educational stories to cheering on a local step show that fuels scholarships and joy. Along the way, we welcome a staffing founder who traces her journey from Wilberforce’s quiet hills to building a national recruiting firm, proving how mentorship, rigorous writing, and public speaking at an HBCU can still shape contracts, client trust, and confident leadership years later.

We dig into the Common Black College App and why simplifying admissions matters for families balancing time and cost. Then we zoom out to entrepreneurship: our guest breaks down what she learned in Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women program, with NYU Stern instruction, mentor guidance, and a cohort of Black founders who turned community into momentum. Her playbook is practical—know your numbers, sharpen your offers, and invest in relationships—because placing candidates well is as much about listening as it is about speed.

This conversation threads personal pride with real resources. You’ll hear about upcoming mentoring events, a holiday fundraiser at the Wonder Chamber, and clear contact info for Lauris Staffing USA if you’re hiring or job hunting nationwide. We close where we began: with gratitude for HBCU faculty who push students to write tighter, think clearer, and speak up, and for alumni who keep showing up for the next class. If this story moved you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs these resources, and leave a quick review to help more families find their path.

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