By Bryant Ramirez
Bryant Ramirez, President & Co-Founder of Sparkr, was invited to speak at the Kellogg School of Management to discuss the organization's vision for communal mentoring and how society can become better connected through mentorship.
Co-Founder Bryant Ramirez addresses the Young African Leaders Initiative.
Invited by Mike Marasco, Director of the Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Kellogg, Bryant addressed the Washington Fellows of the State Department's Young African Leaders Initiative about how Sparkr began and its vision moving forward. Engaging with a room of 20 young African leaders who represent all sub-Saharan African countries, Bryant hosted an interactive Q&A -- or shall we say, an "Open Dialogue" -- where questions and comments ranged from who our target audience is, how we measure success, and how we truly redefine mentorship when mentorship carries preexisting connotations. All were excellent questions which led to critical and important insights on our organization -- articulating it to an audience who has never seen it before makes it mean so much more.
Bryant with Washington Fellow, Kader Kaneye
Kader Kaneye of Niger asked Bryant two interesting questions. "What challenges have you faced and what are you getting out of this?" To which, Bryant responded:
- On challenges faced: "There are many challenges in starting up any company, especially a non-profit. The two that come to mind are building concrete messaging and having a willingness to change and pivot at any given moment."
- On what we get out of it: "This is our chance to make an impact and imprint on the world. Meaningful disruption could provide society with better tools to engage, learn and grow. That's what we aim to do for mentorship, and this is a legacy I want to leave behind."
Afterwards, several of the Fellows joined the Sparkr membership. Paul from Nairobi commented, "Love the concept, would love to implement such an idea back home." Ntsane of Lesotho says, "I never thought the U.S. had such organizations led by young people. This world needs this organization. Young folks need this." Paul and Ntsane, thank you. We hope Sparkr can reach Africa and worldwide in the coming years.