Meet Babson Black MBA: African American Women ‘the Fastest-Growing Group of Entrepreneurs in America’
Hello! My name is Jennifer Pierre (second from the right) and I am the VP of Marketing for the Babson Black MBA Association. I am currently a one-year student in the Masters of Science in Entrepreneurial Leadership (MSEL) program. I am a Haitian-American Floridian who has been living in Miami for the past four years. I came to Babson straight from undergrad at the University of Miami where I studied Entrepreneurship and Marketing. While in Miami, I gained experience in the digital marketing and social media functions of several marketing and advertising companies. Over time, I gained a newfound appreciation for how influential representation is. My passion developed into the intersection of entrepreneurship, race, and social change; while in undergrad, I founded several startups that promoted diversity in the fields of fashion and media. I am currently working on expanding my reach into the toy industry through the help of several Babson resources.
As a first generation immigrant and college student, the value of education has been instilled in me since childhood. Although it is a privilege to be among other students at higher education institutions, being a double minority is always at the back of my mind and an undeniable reality in the world of academia. While I applaud the intentional efforts of schools to be diverse, I have come to found that there is still room for growth in realm of the everyday classroom. From professors with diverse backgrounds to business cases that highlight minority-owned companies, the incorporation of these strides can translate into profound results. This became strikingly apparent to me when I read an article by Fortune Magazine highlighting the fastest group of entrepreneurs in America. Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that African American women own more than 30% of all businesses in America, translating into more than 9 million firms. More than any other moment in history, black women-owned business increased 322 percent in less than 20 years. As an aspiring entrepreneur, I can only look at these statistics and use them as fuel to continue to use my unique passions and skills to leave my mark. The Babson Black MBA Association at the number one school for Entrepreneurship seems to be the best place to start.
Article: The fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in America
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This post is part four of a series from Babson Black MBA’s leadership team. Check out the last post here. And keep up with BBMBA on their Facebook page.