Venture for America is a two-year Fellowship for recent college grads who want to build companies and become entrepreneurs. Fellows move to cities with emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems, creating a community committed to building things across the country. We spend two years working full time at a startup, where we learn the ins-and-outs of building a company. VFA provides the connection to startups, a training camp summer program, mentorship, and resources to inspire the next generation of builders.

I was drawn to VFA for a variety of reasons:

• First, after spending a summer at IBM’s Marketing Design Group, a dynamic group within a 400,000-person company, I felt a draw to work at a smaller company where I could immediately see the impact of my work and collaborate.

• Second, after traveling the world studying cities and spending four incredible years as an Urban Studies major in NYC, I knew I had to take some time to explore more representative American cities; there was never going to be a better time to take a risk and leave my NYC home than in the years immediately following graduation.

• Third, I had started my first company, DiaBEADies, when I was in the 5th grade — I’ve always been incredibly entrepreneurial and knew I would likely start my own company in the future: the resources VFA supplied were appealing. Finally, I was drawn to the diverse community embedded within VFA; I loved the idea of having values-driven friends spread across the country, each spinning out their own side-projects and unique career trajectories.

Venture for America did not disappoint in the years to follow. A part that won my heart initially and has remained important to me since then, are the five credos that all VFA fellows ascribe to:

1. My career is a choice that indicates my values

2. There is no courage without risk

3. Value creation is how I measure achievement

4. I will create opportunity for myself and others

5. I will act with integrity in all things

These have guided me over the program and beyond. To reflect on my experience, I’ll break it down over the four major components I see embedded into the fellowship: the job experience, the startup experience, the city experience, community experience.

JOb Experience

After spending five weeks at training camp learning from experts on web development, excel, design thinking, time management, and goal setting, I was ready to hit the ground running with the New Orleans Business Alliance.

The New Orleans Business Alliance is a public-private partnership that serves as the official economic development agency for Orleans Parish. NOLABA’s goal is to continue to show the world that New Orleans is the best American city for business investment, quality of life and inclusive economic opportunity.

I served on the Business Development team, which aims to attract new businesses to open up shop in the city and create new jobs, and connect existing businesses with people and resources that will empower their companies to grow and expand. I worked on several projects over my tenure, but had a strategic focus on bio, healthcare, entrepreneurship and technology. My signature program was launching and expanding the New Orleans Health Innovators Challenge, which was recognized with Gold Medal of Excellence from the International Economic Development Council.

I also worked closely with 504ward, which under the NOLABA umbrella, aims to retain talented young professionals of New Orleans. 504ward’s goal is to connect you to key people, events and opportunities and ensure that New Orleans is a place for you to thrive and grow. In addition to crafting and supporting events, I also led the social media campaign for 504ward, including vibrant, visual weekly posts across various platforms and daily job features reaching over 15,000 young professionals.

The best part about working at NOLABA was immediately immersing myself in the city: my job was to understand all the business players in NOLA — big and small — and learn about their aspirations and stories. Learning the nuances of the city and market showed me what a unique city New Orleans is and filled me with gratitude for everyone working to make this city more resilient and equitable.

STARTUP EXPERIENCE

At Columbia, I wrote my Urban Studies thesis on the rise of the Experience Economy and how our social media-driven world created a demand for unique, aesthetic place-based adventures. During that time, I watched as developments like Hudson Yards and the Samsung Galaxy Experience channeled millions of dollars into crafting snapshot moments. While working in economic development, I wondered, could this desire for ‘authentic’ artistic interior design could be a pathway for local artists to secure corporate contracts?

This question stuck with me, and inspired me to build Big Easel Collective. Big Easel Collective connects local New Orleans artists with commercial contracts to design memorable art installations for businesses. After winning Venture for America’s 2-week long Validation Challenge, I secured some seed funding to cover some operational launch costs.

From October 2019 onwards, I’ve been focused on this initiative and have been inspired by the progress to date. We’ve worked with several corporate clients, including office spaces and restaurants, and have recently expanded to custom commissions for residential projects and collection pieces.

CITY EXPERIENCE

As I noted above, my time at the New Orleans Business Alliance opened up the city to me. I’ve worked to create an impact personally and professionally.

Some of the programs that have connected me to like-minded individuals include participating in the Economic Development Ambassadors Program (2017), and the Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Academy (2019). Additionally, I’m a Board Member for JNOLA (supporting programming and volunteering efforts for 21-35 year olds), for the New Orleans Public Library Foundation, and for LifeCity’s Love Your City campaign. I’m also a volunteer with the New Orleans Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and the Urban Land Institute.

Finally, I’m an engaged member of the New Orleans Regional Burning Man Community, which brings me immense joy to be surrounded by whimsical and intentional creatives. I plan to be involved in their City Planning efforts for our regional Burn, Engulf, in 2020.

There is never a shortage of ways to show my appreciation for this great city, so I’ve loved every experience I’ve had to roll up my sleeves and help with volunteering efforts. Beyond philanthropic efforts, This city has captured my heart every day I set out on my bike and criss cross throughout her many neighborhoods. I could not have been more fortunate to have secured a VFA placement in New Orleans — though, I’ve also relished the experience to visit other fellows in San Antonio, Birmingham, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, and more. Having a national network of fellows has opened up my perspective, and my national community continues to inspire me with awe.

Community EXPERIENCE: VFAMily

One of the most important parts of my fellowship has also been to bolster our local community. Beginning VFA New Orleans without an officially staffed Community Director meant that it was up to us to create the community we wanted to see.

Before we even met the fellows in the class before us, they checked out houses we were thinking of renting and mailed us care packages at Training Camp. I wanted to bring that energy and warmth to our community, as well. I’ve been able to do that in ways concrete and abstract.

Formally, I was elected our External Partnerships Lead for the New Orleans City Leadership Council; selected to be on the national Venture for America Alumni Board; and, I lead our design thinking workshops. Additionally, I worked through Layla F. Saad’s “Me and White Supremacy” circle program with my fellow VFA New Orleans women.

I’ve helped organize our small group bonding activities to forge new connections between folks. Planning our annual weekend retreat also empowered me to use my design-thinking skills to foster meaningful sharing and relationship development between fellows.

I’ve also brought my love for event planning and community building to our group in more organic ways. Our house is a hub of activity, including hosting a fabulous Wig Lundi Gras celebration, an elaborate Camp Colors Wars summer kick-off celebration, and a ‘fake wedding’ for the Dead Beans Parade, where fellows and friends picked roles out of a hat for our made-up (and very elaborate) wedding celebration. Peep some of my favorite celebration outfits in my costumes section!

Bringing people together brings me joy, and everyday I wake up and feel grateful to live in a city where people prioritize meaningful relationships and quality time above most else. Hard work, kindness, and community are omnipresent and I feel blessed to call New Orleans home.