014 - Authenticity with Jaida Houston

Jaida Houston, 2019 Nyah Fellow and soon-to-be graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, sits down with Leigh-Ann to discuss life from Overtown to “Black Hollywood”, how she got interested in urban planning and development, and the need for community and a sense of belonging. Also find out more about Jaida’s journey to success at an HBCU, her take on the affordable housing crisis, and more!

They also discuss:

• Her 3 biggest regrets

• The importance of being in a room where you’re well-represented

• The ties between kindness and vulnerability

• Why she had a broken spirit as a child despite having a great mother

• How her mother’s relationship with a man named Theodore exposed her to living in a house, new experiences and a more cultured lifestyle

• The history and current situation in Overtown, a historically black community in Miami known as the Harlem of the South, where Jaida grew up

• How the opportunity to travel, especially a homestay in Germany and to Indonesia with Nyah Project, became major turning points in her life

• The influence of teachers and mentors, especially from the Overtown Youth Center, on her life

• How to deal with rejection 

• The strong sense of community and belongingness that she would with the Nyah Project

• The importance of authenticity and persistence in achieving one’s goals

hen your life is already set up how someone believes it to be, you have to be your own guardian angel and say, 'Okay, well, I'm not doing it. I'm gonna make my own path.'" - Jaida Houston